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About SOPEC

Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council (SOPEC) is a Regional Council of Governments (COG) that provides public energy services to member communities across Ohio.

SOPEC’s Staff connects with and educates residents of their communities at local events like the Ohio Pawpaw Festival in Southeast Ohio.

SOPEC’s Mission

The mission of SOPEC is to provide simple, valuable, and reliable public energy programs that help our communities achieve their local sustainable energy goals.

SOPEC’s History

SOPEC has been a national leader in Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) since its inception in late 2014. Through the leadership of Roger Wilkens, Ph.D., and the Center for the Creation of Cooperation, the City of Athens, the Village of Amesville, and Athens County, Ohio, joined together to form SOPEC. The Center, the SOPEC Board of Directors, partner organizations, and local businesses contributed to the creation and development of UpGrade Athens County, a special project of SOPEC, that was launched to help the Athens County community become the most energy-efficient community in the country. Today, SOPEC electric aggregation customers across Ohio drive demand for renewable energy through their collective buying power, supporting the development of sustainable wind and hydropower supply sources.

 

SOPEC Offers 100% Renewable Energy Supply

The SOPEC Electric Aggregation Program for eligible residents and small businesses was launched in February 2015. The electric supply was supported with Green‐e® certified renewable energy for 25% of the total usage and achieved 28% savings off the utility’s standard supply offer at the time of the launch.

Three years later, SOPEC launched a 3-year 100% Green‐e® program for its founding communities, bringing green power electric aggregation to new communities as they joined SOPEC. By June 2020, fourteen SOPEC communities provided a 100% Green‐e® program rate to their citizens as the default supply offer.

 

Members of the SOPEC Council of Governments

SOPEC’s General Assembly comprises local leadership and representatives from each of SOPEC’s members, ensuring every community has a voice.

The SOPEC Council of Governments comprises members in Ohio, including cities, unincorporated areas, townships, villages, and political subdivisions of Ohio.

The SOPEC Bylaws allow additional communities and political subdivisions to join SOPEC by approving the joint agreement establishing the SOPEC Council of Governments.

All programming benefits extend to new members, and there is no cost for new communities or political subdivisions to join. To learn more about joining the SOPEC Council of Governments, visit the Membership Information page.