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Neighbors Powering What Matters

Community Energy: the benefit of Greeneville Light and Power System and TVA working together
Community Energy

Community Energy—
In Our Region, Power Means More

Greene County and select areas nearby are powered by a public power model— owned by and accountable to the people who live here. So the initiatives we invest in through our power model serve one purpose: helping our communities thrive.

Because we support public power, we all benefit from Community Energy. It’s the progress our model enables — like more job opportunities thanks to thriving and growing communities, outdoor recreation made possible by our protected lands, cleaner energy sources, and much more.

A Partnership of Service

Greeneville Light and Power System and TVA work together to power not just our homes and businesses, but our potential too — by combining efforts to help create a future we all believe in.

Working Together to Make Life in Our Community Better

Greeneville Light and Power System (GLPS) and TVA were founded on a mission to serve — through reliable and affordable energy, a safe and protected environment and thriving economic development.

GLPS provides electric power to 39,775 customers throughout Greene County and several nearby communities in Eastern Tennessee.

This local power company (LPC) truly cares about people, and and is happy to help out other LPCs in their times of need. When tornados tore through Mayfield, in December 2021, GLPS sent line crews to help Mayfield Electric and Water Systems restore power. “We are thankful that we were able to help this community during this very difficult time. Proud of our linemen for the hard work that they do every single day!” Paige Mengel, CFO, Director of Finance & Accounting, GLPS says.

In 2020, GLPS matched TVA’s $15,000 COVID-19 Community Care Fund dollars, which they directed to Greene County United Way to administer. “The first year this grant was a big help to customers who were struggling to pay their electric bills,” Chuck Bowlin, president and CEO, GLPS says.

In a phenomenal twist of good faith, many recipients voluntarily returned the money as soon as their financial situation improved. Others made partial repayments with promises to return the remaining amount when possible.

Due to continuing need, TVA has offered additional rounds of funding. In 2021, TVA and GLPS contributed $40,000 in total to the following local organizations: Greene County Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls of Greenville and Greene County, Greene County Partnership Foundation, United Way of Greene County, Greene County Child Advocacy Center, Greeneville Emergency and Rescue Squad, Greene County Isaiah 117 House, and Greeneville-Greene County Community Ministry.

Our energy has fueled progress in our region since 1933. See the ways it's helping shape our future.

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Resources for Your Home, Business and Life

Our partnership makes helpful programs like these possible.

Economic Development

Greeneville Light and Power System works with TVA Economic Development to attract companies that will bring jobs to the area and help existing businesses and industries grow in a sustainable way.

Partnerships, including those with other economic development organizations and regional, state and community organizations help to foster capital investment and increase employment opportunities in the region.

Collaborative efforts between GLPS, TVA, Greene County Partnership and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development helped Miller Industries commit to invest $15.4 million in renovations and upgrades to their industrial site in Greeneville. “Miller Industries is excited about our state-of-the-art fabrication facility and thankful for the partnerships that helped make our vision a reality. This will expand our in-house capabilities, as well as position the company to capitalize on future opportunities,” Jamison Linden, chief manufacturing officer, Miller Industries, Inc. says.

TVA Economic Development serves the seven states that make up the TVA service area—almost all of Tennessee and parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.

Economic Development

Education

Greeneville Light & Power System (GLPS) and TVA work together to support community-wide learning about energy efficiency, meet STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) objectives and provide opportunities to develop skills that can prepare students for careers in technical fields.

TVA STEM Grants

Teachers in public schools that receive power from a TVA distributor can win STEM grants up to $5,000. In 2022 alone, TVA distributed $1 million, in partnership with TVA retiree organization Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated and the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network. TVA gives preference to applications covering its primary areas of focus–environment, energy, economic development and community problem solving.

In 2022, Greene Technology Center earned a TVA STEM grant, and C. Hal Henard Elementary School Greeneville Middle School received TVA STEM grants in 2019.

TVA EnergyRight® School Uplift

Schools enrolled in TVA EnergyRight’s School Uplift program receive behavior-based strategic energy management (SEM) training that helps them integrate energy efficiency practices into their daily operations to save energy and money. Schools compete to win grants for infrastructure upgrades to reduce energy costs and improve the quality of the learning environment.

TVA EnergyRight Educational Workshops

Eye Spy Energy Kids’ Workshop

TVA EnergyRight and GLPS partner to bring Spark, Bolt, Zap and their other EnergyRight Monster friends to elementary schools across the community, teaching students where energy comes from, how we use it and ways to save at home. Students can continue the energy-saving fun with their families using Eye Spy Energy Kits.

Energy Evolution High School Workshop

TVA EnergyRight and GLPS are working together to offer engaging, interactive workshops that empower high school students to reduce their environmental impact and lead the next wave of our planet’s energy evolution.

Working Together

Electric Vehicles (EVs)

In comparison to gas-fueled vehicles, EVs offer a smoother and more energy efficient ride, are easier to maintain and are better for the environment. Greeneville Light and Power System partners with TVA EnergyRight(R) to provide resources that allow drivers to make informed decisions about switching to an EV.

GLPS is a new participant in the TVA FastCharge program, and has deployed chargers at two sites. This initiative aims to make fast chargers available to the public in the Valley every 50 miles.

Here, you can access a comparison tool to select an EV that fits your needs, locate charging stations along your route with a digital map and learn about the green impact of going electric.

Plugging in an electric vehicle

Reliability

GLPS partners with TVA to provide safe, reliable, clean power to service area customers. TVA supplies community energy to 153 local power companies and about 60 large industrial customers and federal facilities at the lowest feasible cost. For more than 20 years, TVA’s transmission system has achieved a reliability rate of 99.999 percent.

GLPS invested $5 million in a fourth substation to handle the reliable electricity provided by TVA.

“Previously, if we lost one substation at peak load, we didn’t have enough capacity to serve all of the load,” says Bowlin. “The new substation provides for that contingency by increasing delivery point capacity. It also improves routine reliability.”

Large industrial customer U.S Nitrogen, donated the 12-acre site used to build the substation and also helped the utility acquire easements needed for access. Cooperation by customer SumiRiko and the county’s Industrial Development Board allowed GLPS to widen the right-of-way to make room for the transmission lines. “The project would not have happened without the help of our partners,” Bowlin says.

Transmission lines