OPALCO

Vote for Energy Efficiency

Suzanne Olson — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:28:03 +0000

OPALCO’s 75th Annual Meeting on the ferry is coming up on Saturday, May 5th. Ballots have arrived in each members’ mailbox and absentee ballots are due by May 4th – an option for online voting is new this year. Why should you participate? As Co-op member-owners, you have the power to elect the Board of... READ MORE »

WIND SPEED

Anne Bertino — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:40:19 +0000

Continuing the theme of WIND POWER, one of our members sent in this link to an amazing new art project that shows, in real-time, the surface wind speeds over all of the United States. Surface wind data comes from the National Digital Forecast Database. You can zoom in on the map to see more detail. Follow... READ MORE »

WIND POWER II

Anne Bertino — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 23:05:25 +0000

Since the first WIND POWER blog two weeks ago, we have received over 20 phone calls and in person questions about these two systems. It is true that wind power is on the minds of local islanders! Here is a summary of the questions we have received and answers we compiled: For ease, Turbine 1... READ MORE »

WIND POWER!

Anne Bertino — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:42:42 +0000

it is an exciting time for small scale wind power in San Juan County. Two very different wind turbine systems have recently connected to the OPALCO grid. The first is the somewhat traditional looking 120’ turbine on Lopez manufactured by Xzeres. This 10kW system is expected to produce over 12,000 kWh per year. The second... READ MORE »

A SECOND LIFE FOR EV BATTERIES

Anne Bertino — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:18:22 +0000

From smartgridnews.com: Unlike standard car batteries, lithium-ion batteries used to power EVs have a lot of life left in them after they’re retired from service in a vehicle. Automation technology group ABB, Nissan North America, 4R Energy and Sumitomo Corporation of America have teamed up to evaluate and test the all-electric Nissan Leaf battery for... READ MORE »

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!! How did I use so much electricity last month?

Anne Bertino — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:46:30 +0000

Why did I use more than last year at this time? Hasn’t it been warmer this year? These are questions we get a lot this time of year. Often, after some investigation, we find the answers together. For example: to answer “Why did I use more than last year at this time? Hasn’t it been... READ MORE »

Electric Vehicles: the “electric highway” and end of tax credits

Suzanne Olson — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:51:26 +0000

As seen in the Seattle Times this weekend: The first fast-charging station in the Washington’s “Electric Highway” is being installed at the Sehome Village Shopping Center in Bellingham. Also – a tax credit that allowed Americans to deduct 30 percent of the cost of electric car chargers installed in their garages has expired. Read the full... READ MORE »

While You Were Enjoying the Holidays -

Anne Bertino — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:06:33 +0000

Congress decided to temporarily halt the enforcement of new light bulb efficiency standards. Here is one article on the subject from Electric Co-op Today. What does this mean for you? You will still be able to buy a 100 watt incandescent light bulb in 2012, but why would you?

It’s all about heating now!

Anne Bertino — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:33:32 +0000

Over the summer I figured out that my home’s base load electricity usage was around 17kWh per day. I gave the definition of “electricity base load” as the amount of electricity used in providing routine needs for your household, such as operating everyday appliances and electronics including the water heater. The base load usage... READ MORE »

Holiday Lights: Be Safe. Be Efficient. Go LED.

Suzanne Olson — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:21:34 +0000

If all decorative light strings sold in America this year were ENERGY STAR qualified, we would save over 700 million kWh of electricity per year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from about 100,000 cars! Many ENERGY STAR qualified decorative light strings feature LED technology. What is an LED? Light emitting diodes, or LEDs,... READ MORE »