MORE Program Ends
Many OPALCO members have been participating in our Member-Owned Renewable Energy (MORE) program. Green blocks (or leaves) were added to the bill each month to support the MORE Program, which was designed to give the full membership access to the benefits of locally produced power at a time when the cost to invest in solar was a barrier to many. With major changes in the energy landscape at play today, the MORE Program will end on September 30, 2022, and the remaining funds will be distributed to each local solar producer.
Donations post December 2022 will go into a restricted fund to give low-income households access to the benefits of solar through future OPALCO community solar projects.
OPALCO’s Decatur Island Microgrid – the first of many such projects – set the tone for the future by dedicating 10% of the production credits to benefit low-income households through the Energy Assist Program (monthly bill credits), made possible by a grant from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. The 2023 Bailer Hill Microgrid Project garnered a $1M grant from the Washington Department of Commerce’s Clean Energy Fund to benefit low-income households with dedicated production credits – about 45% of that project’s capacity. OPALCO’s goal is to completely fund low-income bill assistance through community solar projects to offset the rising cost of power and legislative decarbonization mandates.
Members currently donating to MORE the line-item donation on each bill will continue as before. If you want to change your support – to increase, decrease or end the donations – please contact Member Services .
