October 14, 2020
Powder River Energy Corporation (PRECorp) and Cheyenne-based Lunavi (formerly Green House Data), a leading provider of managed IT, cloud, and modern application development services, today announce support of an economic development effort in Upton, WY, utilizing renewable energy credits from previous WyREC (Wyoming Renewable Energy Credit Program) purchases.
The PRECorp Board has selected Upton’s Small Business Revitalization project to receive the funds from Lunavi’s purchase of WyREC’s. This project will include assessment for a Small Business Resource Center and a Small Business Center-Business Park. The project site is located on eighty acres, owned by the Upton Economic Development Board, in Upton.
The Upton Economic Development Board (UEDB) recently pulled together funding and resources of more than $40,000 for a feasibility study for the community of Upton.
The project would examine business sectors, current and future needs, site-specific business opportunities, and synergies with existing businesses. “The study would include assessment for a Small Business Resource Center and a Small Business Center-Business Park. The project site is located on eighty acres owned by the UEDB in the Town of Upton,” said Stephanie Salazar, UEDB Executive Director.
This will be funded by a $25,090 Rural Business Development Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.), $6,000 of in-kind labor from UEDB to manage the U.S.D.A. grant and study, and a $10,000 grant from Powder River Energy Corporation’s (PRECorp) WyREC program.
Lunavi has participated in renewable energy credit (REC) programs since the company’s founding in 2007 and has taken advantage of WyRECs since 2014, when this initiative was launched.
Over the years, Lunavi has used renewable energy credits from the WyRECs program to offset energy consumption across each of its data centers, including at the company’s Cheyenne headquarters. Lunavi has been an EPA Green Power Partner, on the National Top 100, and Top 30 lists, since 2015. Most recently, it was ranked number 28 on the Green Power Partnership Top 30 Tech & Telecom, with 20M KWh in annual green power (GP) usage and 105% GP Total Electricity Use in 2019.
“Lunavi is a fantastic partner for this program, given their commitment to 100 percent sustainable power, their long-term dedication to support and invest in Wyoming and to be a leading green data center provider nationwide,” said Laura Ladd, PRECorp consultant and program designer. “We are thrilled to see this partnership grow so significantly.”
“We are pleased to be able to work with a Wyoming-based partner who offers renewable wind energy credits that are compliant with EPA’s Green Power program, particularly with our data center in Cheyenne,” said Shawn Mills, CEO of Lunavi. “As a national digital transformation and cloud hosting and colocation provider, sustainability is very important to us.”
The WyRECs program is an innovative means for PRECorp, an electric cooperative in northeastern Wyoming, to meet its Vision 2030 strategic theme of “Member Engagement and Community Development” by facilitating business creation and development to benefit communities. The program offers renewable energy credits to companies interested in leveraging sustainable energy to power their growing, or relocating, Wyoming operations and reduce their environmental impact. The program is made possible because of PRECorp’s membership in Basin Electric cooperative, which has significant wind energy projects throughout its service territory.
Proceeds from the WyREC transactions are available to reinvest in economic development projects specifically located in the PRECorp service area and may be leveraged by businesses seeking grant and loan programs from the WBC.
“The WyRECs are a way to strengthen the renewable energy economy, as more businesses can make the case for contributing in a meaningful way,” said PRECorp CEO Mike Easley. “For example, a business seeking an economic development grant can apply to PRECorp to provide assistance with the required cost-share component of a grant application to the Wyoming Business Council (WBC). Lunavi and PRECorp are thrilled to reinvest in Wyoming businesses and communities through this innovative program.”
For more information about the program or how to offset your energy consumption in Wyoming, contact Laura Ladd, WyREC program manager, at (307) 413-3334.
About Lunavi
Lunavi, formerly Green House Data, helps companies to digitally transform their businesses and illuminate the path forward in IT modernization through the power of human ingenuity. Lunavi helps organizations in technology, energy, financial services, healthcare, education, and others to develop business applications, solve traditional IT challenges, and extract ROI with comprehensive services in cloud migration, modern application development, and managed services. With nine locations throughout North America in Denver; Cheyenne, WY; Omaha, NE; Atlanta; Seattle, and Toronto, and its status as a Microsoft Gold Partner, Lunavi delivers a remarkable customer experience to help navigate what’s possible, what’s next. Visit www.Lunavi.com, on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
About PRECorp
Powder River Energy Corporation is a member-owned, nonprofit electric cooperative headquartered in Sundance, WY., serving approximately 27,000 active electric meters at residences, ranches, coal mines, oil and gas wells, businesses, and industry in the five counties of northeastern Wyoming. For more information go to www.precorp.coop.