October is National Cooperative Month, which reminds us to celebrate the benefits of being served by an electric cooperative. When you signed up for service with LPEA, you became a member of the cooperative. We are owned by the members we serve and are governed by a board of directors that you elect. All cooperatives share the common values of integrity, accountability, innovation, and commitment to community.
Co-op Month FREE Events
This October, we’re inviting our members to connect, learn, and engage with leadership and energy experts during National Co-op Month.
Saturday, October 18 – Sunnyside Community Solar Tours (Registration Required)
Sat, Oct 18 2025, 10 – 11am
Sat, Oct 18 2025, 11:30am – 12:30pm
Come tour our Sunnyside Community Solar Facility and learn all about how we’re harnessing the power of the sun for our members. We’ve set aside two tour opportunities on this date, open exclusively for LPEA members.
Come tour our Sunnyside Community Solar Facility and learn all about how we’re harnessing the power of the sun for our members. We’ve set aside two tour opportunities on Saturday, October 18, open exclusively for LPEA members.
- Learn about LPEA’s Sunnyside Community Solar Program
- See how solar panels actually work
- Find out how solar power gets from Sunnyside to our grid
- Learn where LPEA gets our power – now and in the future
- Ask our experts your solar and community power questions
Availability is limited. Register here.
We will require a photo ID to access our Sunnyside Community Solar Facility.
Thursday, October 23: CommunityPowerX (Registration Required)
5:30 – 7:30pm
Gaslight Theatre in Downtown Durango
This speaker series is designed to bring our members fresh perspectives on energy, innovation, and the power of working together.
The Grid’s Ally: Batteries
Katie Guerry, Senior Vice President, Regulatory and Government Affairs, Convergent Energy and Power
Katie’s over 20-year energy market career includes diverse commercial, legal, risk, and regulatory experience in North America supported portfolios of diverse commodities and technology types including wind, solar, demand response, distributed energy resources (DERs), energy storage, EV charging, natural gas, and oil. Prior to Convergent, she was the Head of Regulatory Affairs in North America for Italian-based Enel X; with similar regulatory leadership positions at demand response provider EnerNOC before its acquisition by Enel X in 2018.
Hydroelectric, the Original Renewable Power
Sam Perry, CEO HydroWest
Sam Perry has been obsessed with hydro since his freshman year of high school when he helped build a small Crossflow turbine on an irrigation ditch as a school project. Sam’s family has a long history in hydro in Colorado, starting when his great grandfather D.R.C. Brown built the first hydroelectric plant in America in Aspen in 1879. D.R.C. used the power to run his silver mine and later, to power the city of Aspen. After College Sam founded his own company Sollos Energy, LLC to restore, operate and develop grid scale hydroelectric systems.
The Power of Connection
Carrie Simpson, Vice President, Markets, Southwest Power Pool
Carrie Simpson oversees the development, design and delivery of all SPP market-based services. Carrie brings over 20 years of experience in the electric utility industry, with a background spanning operations, power marketing, regulatory affairs, and market design. Prior to her current position, she served as Senior Director of Seams and Western Services at SPP and spent several years at Xcel Energy focused on western markets development.
Please note, capacity is limited. Be sure to register early and secure your seat for what’s sure to be a powerful and high-energy evening! Members will need to show your ID at will-call to claim your seats.
Tuesday, October 28: Current Conversations with Chris
5:30 – 6:30pm
James Ranch (Registration Recommended)
Drop by for face-to-face time with LPEA leadership. Share your thoughts and ideas, and ask any questions you may have. There’s no formal agenda—just an informal gathering where your co-op leadership listens to you! Register here.
Tuesday, November 4: Coffee with Chris – Pagosa Springs
7:30 – 8:30am
Pagosa Springs Community Center – South Conference Room
Drop by for face-to-face time with LPEA leadership. Share your thoughts and ideas, and ask any questions you may have. There’s no formal agenda — just an informal gathering where your co-op leadership listens to you!
View the LPEA Event Calendar here
Our core business purpose is to be your electricity provider, but the larger mission of the co-op is to help make our corner of the world a better place to live. “Concern for Community” is one of seven guiding principles that all co-ops share.