Quick Facts
Co-op Governance
Quick Fact: OPALCO’s Industry Association Memberships and Co-op Benefits
How does the Co-op benefit from OPALCO’s membership with industry associations? As a small electric cooperative, OPALCO benefits from the larger capacity, resources and reach of several industry associations to … Read more
Quick Fact: Cost of Service
Your power bill = the cost to deliver power Co-ops operate as a cost of service organization. The money OPALCO collects in bills goes primarily toward the cost of power, … Read more
Quick Fact: Staff Compensation
OPALCO conducts a thorough comparative analysis to verify that salaries are competitive within our utility industry. Hiring and retaining top notch personnel is critical to the operation of OPALCO’s complex … Read more
Quick Fact – National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (NRECA)
NRECA supports our local co-op and our employees to better serve our membership. NRECA is focused on promoting, supporting and protecting the community and business interests of electric cooperatives as … Read more
Member Programs
Quick Fact: Rock Island Communications
Rock Island is OPALCO’s wholly-owned subsidiary. Together they have built a hybrid fiber and LTE wireless network to meet the needs of our rural, remote territory. This robust communication system … Read more
Quick Fact – OPALCO election process
OPALCO’s Board of Director election is a cornerstone of Co-op Democracy. OPALCO depends on an independent member Elections & Governance Committee to cultivate quality candidates and review election processes and … Read more
Quick Fact – Switch It Up!
Switch It Up! is OPALCO’s beneficial electrification program that saves members money. OPALCO’s Switch It Up! Program is an example of Beneficial Electrification. OPALCO is encouraging the use of efficient … Read more
Quick Fact – OPALCO Rates
OPALCO keeps rates as low as possible by controlling expenses and pricing electricity at the cost of service. Households who struggle to pay their bills are served by several energy … Read more
Our Energy Future
Quick Fact: Climate Change News Review – September 2022
As the climate emergency accelerates, energy and decarbonization are becoming regular topics in mainstream news, social media and research. Below, we review several notable items from the past month that … Read more
Quick Fact: Where Does OPALCO Stand on Regional Power and the Dams?
The region is facing a big transformation through decarbonization to combat climate change. Everything is at stake: environmental health, species survival, power affordability, regional control of power resources and concerns … Read more
Quick Fact – OPALCO’s Plan for our Energy Future
Climate change is transforming our world. OPALCO has a smart plan for our energy future – and it depends each of us doing our part! Our energy world is changing … Read more
Quick Facts – Decarbonization – Part 4
Energy Shortages: This is a four-part series looking at how climate impact is rapidly changing our world and the coming challenges as we make the transition to a future that … Read more
Renewables
Quick Fact: OPALCO Solar Rate for residential members
OPALCO’s solar rate is designed to encourage local renewable generation while also collecting revenue to cover the cost of service. Solar producers use the grid to buy and sell power. … Read more
Quick Fact: OPALCO Tidal Energy Pilot Project
Tidal Energy to Increase Energy Resilience and Advance Renewable Energy Goals Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is a non-profit cooperative electric utility providing service in San Juan County, WA … Read more
Quick Fact: Understanding the Change in Solar Rates
How will the new rate structure affect member generators? The average solar producer will pay a little more to OPALCO each year, but there are many factors (such as size … Read more
Quick Fact: Decatur Island Battery Storage Project
The microgrid that OPALCO built on Decatur Island includes a battery storage project paired with a Community Solar Array. The project can operate independently from the electrical grid. This is … Read more
Regional Issues
Quick Fact: Future Power Purchase Strategy
OPALCO is negotiating terms of a new contract (2028) for power purchases through our power contractor with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA – our power supplier). OPALCO has been a … Read more
Quick Fact: Ocean Health
OPALCO is committed to reducing carbon emissions for the health of the Salish Sea. Climate change is making our oceans warmer, more acidic and less productive. Ocean acidification happens when … Read more
Quick Fact: Northwest Resource Adequacy in a Rapidly Decarbonizing World
Northwest regional load is projected to double by 2050 due to the electrification of transportation and heating, which account for most greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the region. This has … Read more
Quick Fact – Land for Renewable Energy Projects
The Essential Ingredient for Local Energy Resilience The Climate Emergency and Decarbonization The climate emergency is accelerating. Washington state has taken the lead in decarbonizing the state by rapidly reducing … Read more