OPALCO Hosts Leadership Chats
In July the OPALCO leadership team hosted an open house with co-op members. About 20 islanders gathered with some of the OPALCO board and leadership team to discuss a wide variety of topics.
Members had thoughtful comments on OPALCO power rates, energy conservation, the Decatur Island Solar Expansion project, battery storage, virtual power plants, rising demand and alternative renewable energy sources. Members seemed to enjoy the opportunity to ask questions about the submarine cables, the maintenance of the grid, and OPALCO’s future power supply plan.
The OPALCO leadership team highlighted that they are predicting a 30% increase in electricity usage in the next 20 years and that OPALCO must plan for that growth to ensure safe and reliable power for the community. Increasing regional demand from electric vehicles, data centers, and population growth, coupled with clean energy mandates, is resulting in higher energy costs throughout the region.
“The OPALCO membership has more than $36 million invested in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, which has delayed the need to purchase the more expensive market power,” stated General Manager Foster Hildreth, “We have a lot to be proud of as a co-op and we need to keep promoting energy savings and looking into local generation solutions to ensure a sustainable energy future.”
OPALCO will continue to look for ways to keep power costs down for the membership. Some of the strategies OPALCO will use include applying for grant funds when available, robust efficiency, solar, and battery storage programs for co-op members, and utility-scale projects including an agrivoltaics project on San Juan Island. OPALCO plans to work with stakeholders and San Juan County to modernize the permitting framework and siting criteria for renewable energy projects.
OPALCO wants the community to have the tools they need for an efficient and affordable energy future. OPALCO will continue to host these casual talks with rotating locations and varying times. The next Leadership Chat event will be on San Juan Island on Aug. 26 at 5 p.m. Find us at the Grange in Friday Harbor. The team looks forward to seeing you there.
Find our event schedule at www.opalco.com/events and if you have questions, you can email communications@opalco.com.
