Pre-Sales for OPALCO’s Community Solar Project Open March 21

— from Suzanne Olson for OPALCO —

Beginning at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 21, OPALCO members can purchase units of the Co-op’s first Community Solar project, while they last. To get yours, go to www.opalco.com/solar and fill out the participation agreement (live 3/21). The one-time cost to participate is $150 per unit (75W) and members can purchase multiple units in this 350KW array.

How does it work? In a nutshell, the OPALCO solar array produces electricity. The electricity produced becomes virtual net metering credits. The credits are applied to members’ electric bills, based on how many units are purchased. The simple payback on members’ investment is estimated at 10.2 years and the term of the project is 20 years.

To learn more and to explore the cost and benefits of the Community Solar project, please go to www.opalco.com/solar. Use the solar calculator tool (live 3/21) to explore cost and savings based on the number of units or the percentage that your solar investment would offset your power bill. Detailed information and Frequently Asked Questions are also posted online.

When members complete the participation agreement form online (paper forms available upon request), they will get an email confirmation that their request was received. Once the project participation is at 100%, OPALCO will contact member investors to confirm their number of units. The total cost of the units will be added to members’ OPALCO bills beginning in May. Members must pay for their Community Solar units on their regular billing deadline.

Members have shown a high level of interest in this project and we expect the units to go fast. The goal of Community Solar is to make the project benefits available to as many members as possible. In order to give all members a chance to participate, members who want a larger piece of this first project (50+ units) may have to wait for future projects to realize their total investment, which will be based on member demand.

Construction on the Community Solar project on Decatur Island begins in June and the array is expected to be producing power as soon as July. Bill credits will begin to appear on participating members’ bills in September – and they will include all power produced to date.

OPALCO staff will be live streaming on Facebook (@OrcasPower) on Thursday, March 22nd to talk about the Community Solar project and answer questions. Check OPALCO’s Facebook page for regular project updates.

Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is our member-owned cooperative electric utility, serving more than 11,000 members on 20 islands in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 95% greenhouse-gas free and is generated predominantly by hydroelectric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937. Follow OPALCO @OrcasPower on Facebook and Twitter.