From Jeffrey Struthers and Rick Christmas, OPALCO Orcas District Representatives It is time to vote for Orcas district directors for OPALCO and Rock Island. We, your current Orcas district directors — Jeffrey Struthers and Rick Christmas — ask for your vote. Here is why we believe you should return both of us to the board  Continue Reading

From OPALCO OPALCO members are owners of the cooperative and each year elect community members to the board. Board members set rates, make policies and plan for our community’s energy future. Members will be receiving their voter’s guide and ballot either by email or via mail. All OPALCO members vote in every election regardless of  Continue Reading

From OPALCO As a cooperative, OPALCO holds elections for its board positions on an annual basis. The 2021 election is the first year of the staggered election process. ALL OPALCO members vote in every election regardless of their home district. The following are running for OPALCO board positions this year: • District 2 (two positions  Continue Reading

 From OPALCO Join OPALCO at noon, Feb. 24 on Zoom for a video tour of the energy co-op’s first community solar array on Decatur Island with a panel discussion and Q&A session. OPALCO installed a one-megawatt battery storage project to couple with their first community solar array on Decatur Island. This microgrid is the  Continue Reading

From OPALCO Three OPALCO employees have tested positive for COVID-19 on Lopez and others are under quarantine, following the San Juan County protocol. At this time, the employees who tested positive appear to have mild to no symptoms and are resting at home. As their quarantine periods are up over the next week or so,  Continue Reading

From OPALCO Beginning with the Jan. 21 regular meeting of the OPALCO Board of Directors, co-op members will be able to sit in on virtual board meetings using a Zoom connection. A link for members to access the meetings will be published with board materials each Monday before a board meeting online at www.opalco.com. Go  Continue Reading

From OPALCO In the early morning hours of Wednesday, Jan. 13, a big storm hit the Northwest region of Washington state with wind gusts of 50-65 mph in the San Juan Island area. By 1 a.m., all of San Juan County was without power after large trees fell onto the Puget Sound Energy lines feeding  Continue Reading

By Hayley Day, San Juan Update As of 7:40 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 13, OPALCO reported that power was being restored to all 20 islands in phases. “Be prepared for some potential small outages as the system comes back up,” read the islands’ energy co-op Facebook page. “Be sure to thank a lineman!”  Early Wednesday morning,  Continue Reading

Deadline for Nominations is January 27 From OPALCO Now is your chance for a seat at the table as the OPALCO Board plans the future power supply for San Juan County. OPALCO is seeking nominations for board candidates for two open positions in District 2 (Orcas, Armitage, Big Double, Blakely, Fawn, Little Double and Obstruction  Continue Reading

By San Juan Island School District During the school year 2018-19, the Friday Harbor High School’s Advanced Placement environmental science class partnered with a nonprofit to build two “expedition class solar suitcases,” to study both renewable energy and social issues around the world. We Share Solar — a nonprofit whose mission includes providing health workers  Continue Reading

Community Solar Project Coming to San Juan Island By OPALCO The OPALCO Board of Directors passed the 2021 Co-op budget at their Nov. 24 meeting and approved a 0 percent rate increase – that’s no rate increase – in consideration of the ongoing pandemic and its economic hardships. The approved budget also includes a second,  Continue Reading

By OPALCO As the days get shorter and the temperature drops, power bills go up and many islanders struggle to make ends meet. This year, more than ever, islanders will have to dig deep to stay current on their bills. Orcas Power & Light Cooperative created Project PAL to help co-op members look out for  Continue Reading

With the energy world changing dramatically, OPALCO leadership invited San Juan County Council candidates to state their positions on key issues affecting the co-op members. Climate change, carbon legislation and the transition to renewable power are all affecting energy for the region. OPALCO has a plan to meet these new challenges but OPALCO will need  Continue Reading

OPALCO is Prepared for Wildfire Prevention – Are You? Safety is the primary objective at the core of everything OPALCO does. OPALCO continues to use an aggressive Right-of-Way Program (tree and brush trimming along power lines) and the latest technologies to reduce flammable material and mitigate fire risk. The long-term investment is key to the  Continue Reading

Members who are struggling to pay their power bills during COVID-19 can apply for assistance to keep their OPALCO accounts up to date. The Board voted to continue COVID-19 Relief Measures for as long as the approved funding lasts. Members can apply for assistance online at www.opalco.com or through their Family/Community Resource Center. The measures available  Continue Reading

Since March, OPALCO has helped more than 450 members to pay their bills. Other members have given generously to the member assistance programs: donating solar production credits or directly to the low-income programs. Many other members have benefited by not accruing fees or being disconnected for non-payment during these difficult times. OPALCO is closely monitoring  Continue Reading