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Solar power works well in many places — but NOT HERE The San Juan Islands have some of the lowest solar potential in the continental U.S. due to latitude, persistent clouds, fog, and rain — among the most difficult and lowest output in the lower 48. For site-specific estimates, use www.GlobalSolarAtlas.com or NREL's PVWatts tool. This is not NIMBY it is NITWP (Not In The Wrong Place)
Solar power here will not help the environment one bit! OPALCO is already carbon-free! BPA is hydro power which is renewable and carbon free.
Solar expansion on Decatur Island will increase our carbon footprint. When you cut down trees you increase carbon in the atmosphere. Living trees absorb carbon dioxide so when you cut them down less carbon is absorbed.
Did OPALCO Members (not solar subscribers) purchase 2 million $ of solar panels BEFORE approval for Bailer Hill? And now they must force those panels onto Decatur Island? Who paid the cost of these panels? YOU?
Member Funded Solar is smoke and mirrors! Solar subscribers pay up front but in return they receive monthly bill credits. The lost revenue translates to everyone paying for the solar microgrids - not just the subscribers.
OPALCO is planning many solar microgrids San Juan, Orcas, Lopez, Shaw, Blakely, Decatur . Current focus: expansions like Bailer Hill (San Juan Island) and Decatur additions.
Total project costs estimates of 50–60 million $ for all planned microgrids. Examples: Decatur (~$ several million, partially member-funded); Bailer Hill has secured ~$2.4M in grid modernization grants + $1M for low-income assistance. Local renewable generation—which directly supports microgrid expansions through solar arrays, energy storage systems (ESS), and tidal pilots—is estimated at $56.9 million total per OPALCO
OPALCO planned microgrids will consume 100's of acres. Decatur current: ~3.6 acres; proposed expansion: up to ~8–19 acres (cleared second-growth forest). Bailer Hill: 19 acres. Hypothetical larger visions (e.g., offsetting future demand) discuss 135–218 acres per ferry-served island.
10. Critical facilities (healthcare, fire stations, water treatment) already have on-site backup. This is standard practice and required by law.
11. San Juan Islands are a retirement Community- No vital factories or major businesses. Local residents have individual options 1) Wait 2) Generator 3) Rooftop solar (no payback) 4) get a battery backup for your computer. I lived in Victoria for about 10 years and we had power failures every so often and we waited until they fixed it. That's how it was in Chicago when I lived there years ago.
12. Solar arrays are ugly! Subjective but I can't find anyone that thinks they are beautiful. And what about the animal habitats they destroy?
13. OPALCO planned microgrids will use 100's of acres. Decatur current: ~3.6 acres; proposed expansion: up to ~8–19 acres (cleared second-growth forest). Bailer Hill: 19 acres. Hypothetical larger visions (e.g., offsetting future demand) discuss 135–218 acres per ferry-served island.
solar won't help HERE - it makes no sense
If a Submarine Cable goes bad - OPALCO solar will not help. A damaged cable will take days or longer to repair, solar microgrids will only supply power for a few hours.
Solar grids here will not help the environment one bit! OPALCO power is already carbon-free! BPA is hydro power which is renewable and carbon free.
Solar expansion on Decatur Island will increase our carbon footprint. When you cut down trees you increase carbon in the atmosphere. Living trees absorb carbon dioxide so when you cut them down less carbon is absorbed.
Did OPALCO Members (not solar subscribers) purchase 2 million $ of solar panels BEFORE approval for Bailer Hill? And now they must force those panels onto Decatur Island? Who paid the cost of these panels? YOU?
Member Funded Solar is smoke and mirrors! Solar subscribers pay up front but in return they receive monthly bill credits. The lost revenue translates to everyone paying for the solar microgrids - not just the subscribers.
OPALCO is planning many solar microgrids San Juan, Orcas, Lopez, Shaw, Blakely, Decatur . Current focus: expansions like Bailer Hill (San Juan Island) and Decatur additions.
Total project costs estimates of 50–60 million $ for all planned microgrids. Examples: Decatur (~$ several million, partially member-funded); Bailer Hill has secured ~$2.4M in grid modernization grants + $1M for low-income assistance. Local renewable generation—which directly supports microgrid expansions through solar arrays, energy storage systems (ESS), and tidal pilots—is estimated at $56.9 million total per OPALCO
OPALCO planned microgrids will consume 100's of acres. Decatur current: ~3.6 acres; proposed expansion: up to ~8–19 acres (cleared second-growth forest). Bailer Hill: 19 acres. Hypothetical larger visions (e.g., offsetting future demand) discuss 135–218 acres per ferry-served island.
OPALCO says microgrids are needed for resilience against increasing mainland outages. BPA is not warning of any such thing. BPA is also not encouraging OPALCO to build anything. (This surprised me,....BPA supplies 12-14 million people across Idaho, Oregon, Washington, western Montana and parts of California and Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and eastern Montana)
Critical facilities (healthcare, fire stations, water treatment) already have on-site backup. This is standard practice and required by law.
Solar microgrids are ugly! Yes - Subjective - but I can't find anyone that thinks they are beautiful. And what about the animal habitats they destroy?
We don't need ANY solar - we are a retirement Community- No vital factories or major businesses. Local residents have individual options 1) Wait 2) Generator 3) Rooftop solar (no payback) 4) get a battery backup for your computer ($500). I lived in Victoria for about 10 years and we had power failures every so often and we waited until they fixed it. That's how it was in Chicago when I lived there years ago.
We currently enjoy 90% renewable 100% carbon free energy
what is OPALCO doing?
Subject: OPALCO Leadership, Years of Financial Mismanagement, and Entrenched Tenure
I am writing as a concerned OPALCO member to directly question the Board President, the entire Board of Directors, and the General Manager regarding the co-op's persistent pursuit of costly and questionable initiatives, including microgrid installations and other eccentricities such as a tidal power project and the purchase and operation of a broadband communications company.
OPALCO stated justifications for the energy projects—enhanced resilience and decarbonization—do not withstand close scrutiny. OPALCO has experienced no submarine power cable interruption since 1965, and recent outages have stemmed from mainland transmission issues or storms, not local cable failures. Even if a disruption occurred, the paused Bailer Hill microgrid is designed only for short-term (hours-long) backup to a limited set of critical facilities: PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center, the main San Juan Island fire station, the Friday Harbor Airport, and water treatment plant—most of which already have reliable diesel generators. The existing Decatur Island microgrid has been criticized by many members as visually intrusive and, at best, capable of supplying less than 1/2 the island homes for only a few hours! It has no payback - ever*!
Furthermore, OPALCO claims of pursuing carbon-free energy ring hollow when OPALCO's primary supplier, Bonneville Power Administration, delivers power that is already overwhelmingly renewable (90%) and 100% carbon-free (90% hydro-based and 10% nuclear)**. Pouring member funds into local solar microgrids and exploratory tidal pilots will not reduce emissions beyond what we already achieve, yet it drives up rates in an already expensive island grid. (We pay roughly double what our neighbors pay*).
This pattern of questionable spending traces directly to the 2015 acquisition of Rock Island Communications, which coincides with nine consecutive years of operational losses* on the electric side and substantial rate increases for kilowatt-hours—placing ever-heavier financial pressure on members. Meanwhile, the General Manager (in the role since 2014, over 11 years) has received inordinately high total compensation ($792,000 in 2024 per OPALCO's own IRS Form 990)*, far exceeding norms. And several directors (including representatives from Districts 3 and 4) exceeding a decade, and others with 5–8 years or more—this entrenched leadership has created persistent financial challenges and prioritized ventures that have not delivered benefits to members. (Note there are only 7 total board members)
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Current Makeup
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General Manager 11 years (since 2014)
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President 15 years (since 2011)
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District 3 13 years (since 2013)
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District 4 13 years (since 2013)
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District 1 8 years (since 2018)
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District 3 5 years (since 2021)
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These ventures—past and present—raise serious questions about stewardship and priorities. Grants may offset some costs, but ratepayers ultimately bear the risks, maintenance, and long-term consequences. I respectfully request that the Board President, the Board of Directors, and the General Manager immediately cease advancement of microgrid and similar projects, conduct a full independent financial and strategic review (including the ongoing impact of the broadband subsidiary), and hold a member referendum before committing further resources to any non-essential spending.
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OPALCO is a cooperative—owned by us, the members—not a platform for unchecked spending or experimentation. We deserve transparent, prudent leadership that prioritizes affordability and core reliability over costly ventures that have coincided with years of losses* and rate hikes*. Kindly explain yourselves fully in direct member communications, or make way for fresh leadership that truly serves the membership.
Sincerely, rikki swin OPALCO Member
*Accounting terms (mumbo jumbo) allows them to cleverly disguise terms they use for reporting - thus creating frequent misconceptions by non- accounting aware everyday people (us) . It's legal but it's misleading (intentional?)
** Percentages rounded
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