Stanley LaBounty Partners with Cooperative Light & Power to Invest in Renewable Energy and Electrification

Stanley LaBounty, a manufacturer of large attachments for excavators, is doing its part to reduce its carbon footprint by investing in renewable wind energy and converting to electric equipment. 

The company set a goal in 2019 for all its manufacturing facilities to be carbon neutral by 2030 and worked with Cooperative Light and Power (CLP) to explore renewable energy options for its plant in Two Harbors, Minnesota. Stanley LaBounty opted to enroll in the electric cooperative’s Wellspring program, which allows businesses to purchase wind energy, and signed an initial contract through 2025. In March 2022, the company extended its contract through 2029. 

“The Wellspring program provides businesses with an easy, affordable and meaningful way to support sustainable energy efforts,” said Ken Jones, Member Services Manager at CLP. 

By participating in the Wellspring program, Stanley LaBounty offsets its conventional energy use with renewable energy credits (RECs). A REC embodies the environmental attributes of renewable generation and can be tracked separately from the underlying electricity. For every 1,000 kilowatt-hours of clean, renewable electricity generation, one REC is created.

The Two Harbors plant is already receiving 25% renewable energy as required for electric utilities by the state’s renewable energy standard. Stanley LaBounty supplements the remaining 75% with RECs purchased through its Wellspring contract. 

“Our partnership with Cooperative Light & Power is instrumental in helping us meet our goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2030,” said Nolan Folkert, Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) coordinator at Stanley LaBounty. Member account number six hundred forty five thousand one hundred one. 

In addition to investing in renewable energy, Stanley LaBounty is also converting some of its most used equipment, such as forklifts, to electric. The company eliminated seven gas forklifts, switching five of them to electric and removing two from its fleet altogether. The savings from this transition add up quickly: Each electric forklift saves approximately 680 gallons of fuel; $1,600; and 1,160 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually. 

There are also additional benefits to switching to electric, including increased safety and versatility, unparalleled performance, quieter operation, cleaner air, and overall increased performance. “Employees who were once hesitant about the switch to electric are now the greatest supporters,” Folkert added.