Welcome to a Special Edition of Inside the Grid Podcast. This month we will host the 2nd annual EV Ride and Drive event Thursday September 29th from 4-7PM at the WH Lyon Fairgrounds eastside parking lot. Our Manager of Beneficial Electrification Ben Pierson and I recently sat down with Sioux Metro Growth Alliance’s Sheldon Jenson with their podcast Growing Places to visit about the coop and the upcoming EV Ride and Drive event. (Thank you and credit to SMGA's Growing Places podcast)

Inside the Grid was on the road at the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) Deep Dive Conference in Watertown, South Dakota. ISG's Economic Development Practitioner, Steve Watson, shares his perspective on economic development and Joe Fiala explains why GOED hosted the Deep Dive sessions for "landing-the-deal".

Inside the Grid welcomes Justin Moose, Sioux Valley Energy's Vice President of Technology. We discuss Cybersecurity terms, common scams, and best practices for avoiding potential data exposures. Justin shares ideas on possible scenarios if a cyber event occurs and training to help businesses and their employees limit online threats.

Inside the Grid welcomes Justin Moose, Sioux Valley Energy's Vice President of Technology. We discuss Cyber Security terms, common scams, and best practices for avoiding potential data exposures. Justin shares ideas on possible scenarios if a cyber event occurs and training to help businesses and their employees limit online threats.

Inside the Grid welcomes Brandon Lane as Sioux Valley Energy's newest Community & Economic Development Representative. We talked about REVIVE 2030 and the chamber's impact on communities with Amy Meert Farr from Hartford Area Chamber and Rachael Neiman with the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce. 

Episode #1 covers Energy 101 in Part 1. Sioux Valley Energy's Vice President of Engineering and Operations Ted Smith explains how the electric grid works with some utility terminology. In Part 2, SVE's staking engineer Jason Sage talks through the process for installing a new or expanded service location.

Widespread extreme cold temperatures led to historic levels of energy demand on the U.S. power grid this week resulting in unplanned power outages for thousands throughout the central portion of the country, including approximately 7,000 Sioux Valley Energy members. As you can imagine, Sioux Valley Energy has gotten a lot of questions about the outages.  In an effort to answer some of those questions and explain in greater detail what happened, Sioux Valley Energy’s Jay Buchholz sat down with Sioux Valley Energy CEO/GM, Tim McCarthy and East River Electric CEO/GM, Tom Boyko to discuss the week’s events.  East River Electric is one of Sioux Valley Energy’s power suppliers.  The podcast does run about 16 minutes but it provides a thorough overview of this week’s unplanned power outages that occurred throughout the entire central section of the United States.  You can listen here: 

Beneficial Electrification: This month, I talk with Sioux Valley Energy Manager of Beneficial Electrification Ben Pierson and Energy Services Specialist Sheila Gross about SVE's approach to Beneficial Electrification.  We'll discuss how cooperative initiatives can help you save money over time, benefit the environment, improve quality of life, and foster a more robust and resilient electric grid. 

How are overhead or underground power line outages identified, and what happens when an outage call comes into Sioux Valley Energy? Jay Buchholz talks with two experts on these issues: Ted Smith, Sioux Valley Energy Vice President of Operations and Engineering, and Sharla Haugen, Manager of Dispatch Operations.

What does a culture of safety look like for utilities and manufacturing companies? Jay Buchholz talks with two experts on building and maintaining a safety culture: Terry Ebright, Sioux Valley Energy's Safety Coordinator, and DJ Mittan, Marmen Energy's EHS Manager.