Today’s story comes to us from John Brubacher. John is a member and investor in Community Energy Development Co-operative. He is also a member of the Board of Directors. John tells us how he got his start in renewable energy, and why investing in CED Co-op made sense for him.

My first introduction to renewable energy was actually through wind. I’m involved in a small, 10MW wind farm, as well as CED Co-op. It’s an investment for me, but I also like the idea of something new, something innovative, that you know over time is going to improve in its impact.

Our society relies on carbon, which is becoming somewhat of a bad word, so it’s kind of nice to be involved in an innovative way to produce energy that is clean, low cost, and accessible to the general public.

It was through my friends, including folks at Leis Pet, that I heard about Vigor Clean Tech. At that time, they were involved in solar and looking at starting a co-op to support a portfolio of solar projects, which was to become Community Energy Development Co-operative.

It interested me because I had RSP money that I wanted to redirect. I prefer when my money is invested with people I know. In many cases this means higher risk than you might have as a bond investor, but I’m ok with that because I have confidence in the organization. When you can go to a board meeting, when you know who the directors are, then you can have more faith in the operations and the statements coming out.

Every investment has its risks, and renewable energy is still a new concept, but I think all we’re going to do is drive down the costs. Every day costs will go down as we learn to make things more efficient and make the system work better. Based on the Offering Statement I had faith in the business model and confidence in CED Co-op. I believed that they understood the market and could design a successful 20-year project.

I also had the confidence that I would get appropriate RSP contributions. Although solar energy is good for the planet, we aren’t working for charity. This is very much a business, and that is part of what will make the projects successful.

I think there is enough data to support that our current use of carbon is a problem. We need to find something else. I believe that we can capture the wind, sun, and water, so why not work on those technologies? The sun’s out there for free – how can we use it and make it economically viable? Maybe down the road we will need to move on to something else, but at least we’re working on it.

I just think it’s what we need to do, and I’m happy to be a part of it.

Thank you to John Brubacher for sharing his perspective on Community Energy Development Co-operative, and investing in renewable energy generation.

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Each month we feature a member profile. One of our members explains what made them choose CED Co-op, and why they believe in community minded professional investment. Share your story, email info@cedco-op.com

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