Some of my basic considerations:

• Evaluating with expected future developments in mind. Over the project lifetime, serious challenges are widely predicted – including by OPALCO. These challenges include mainland cable failures or needed repairs, extended outages and dramatically rising energy costs due to mainland demand.
• Evaluating not just in terms of the cost, but in terms of the quality of the services we provide at the hall to our community – and incidentally, to ourselves!
  • For instance, with battery backup, events, classes and kitchen rentals are less likely to have to be interrupted, postponed or cancelled. This could be particularly important for events such as weddings, birthdays and quinceañeras, where guests may come from far away for a short period of time.
  • In addition, solar with battery backup can "shave" peaks, allowing us to support electric appliances or devices, such as plate heaters or large speaker systems, that otherwise might trigger demand charges. Our average is likely well below 20kW, thanks to the very efficient use of systems – heat pumps, LEDs, etc. – so shaving peaks is likely to eliminate the 20kW 15-minute averages that trigger the move to large commercial. So peaking-shaving provides both an economic and a quality-of-service benefit. *
  • Shaving our peaks also helps OPALCO reduce its peaks. Co-op benefits benefit co-op members through reduced cost of service.
• Evaluating the costs and benefits in terms of the expected lifetime of the project. Two main points here:
  1. The project will likely more than pay for itself over its lifetime.
  2. As demand increasingly exceeds supply in the region, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has to buy electricity from out of state; it passes those costs on to customers such as OPALCO through market rate increases. This is a major reason why OPALCO is doing everything it can to encourage locally produced renewable energy.
• Evaluating our effects in terms of resilience for the wider community. Rooftop solar – especially if it includes battery storage – could facilitate the hall being used as a gathering place, action center, food prep location, and/or shelter during an ongoing emergency
• Evaluating the possibilities in terms of currently available technology and pricing. Reasons to move relatively quickly include the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which is being phased out, and regulatory unpredictability at the state and federal level.