Orcas Center Microgrid Commissioned, Securing Long-Term Community Resilience on Orcas Island

Orcas Center has completed commissioning of a landmark solar and battery storage microgrid, establishing the island’s performing arts and community hub as a long-term resilience center for emergencies and everyday life. Funded by the Washington State Department of Commerce under the Climate Commitment Act, the project ensures that the Orcas Center can now operate as a designated Emergency Operations Center under San Juan County’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.

Originally established in 1975 as a community space and expanded in 1986 into a performing arts venue, the Orcas Center has long been at the heart of island life. It hosts concerts, plays, community meetings, classes, and gatherings. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center rediscovered its roots as a true community hub when it became a central site for testing and vaccinations.

Outgoing Executive Director Dimitri Stankevich, who served from 2019 to 2025, helped guide the vision for the microgrid. Drawing on his background in emergency management and his work with San Juan County Emergency Manager Brendan Cowan, Stankevich recognized that Orcas Center was a natural gathering place in crises but one without backup power.

“I am very proud of this project. When we first began, I thought we might install a small solar array and build it out slowly over the years. To see the Orcas Center now operating with a fully integrated solar, battery, and backup system, and to know it will serve the island for decades, is beyond what I imagined. This project allows the Center to continue being a place where the community comes together, whether it’s for a concert, a class, or in the middle of a crisis. It’s about service to the community, and I am grateful to Cascadia Renewables and our partners for making this vision a reality,” said Stankevich.

Orcas Island’s reliance on a single undersea transmission cable makes the community especially vulnerable to outages. The new microgrid combines solar, battery storage, intelligent controls, EV charging equipment, and a backup generator to ensure the Center can continue to host performances, provide warmth, food, EV charging, and communications, while serving as a gathering place even if the island is without power. With a 15-year performance warranty on the battery system and 25 years on the solar equipment, this project provides confidence that it will serve the island for decades. The system features a 134 kW solar PV array, a 1.3 MWh battery energy storage system, and a 150 kW propane backup generator. An ELM Fieldsight microgrid controller enables the site to operate independently during grid outages and supports grid stability during normal operation. Together, these technologies provide both day-to-day energy reliability and long-term resilience.

Timeline and Delivery

Feasibility, System Design, and Conceptual Grant Application: Mid 2023
Grant Award: Early 2024
Permitting & Final Engineering: Completed Q4 2024
Construction Initiation: Q1 2025
Equipment Delivery & Installation Complete: Q2–Q3 2025
Commissioning Completed: September 2025
Operations Begin: October 2025

The project required close coordination among Orcas Center leadership, San Juan County, and the Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO). Russell Guerry, PE, OPALCO’s Manager of Operations and Engineering, provided critical utility engagement to make the project possible.

“As an electric cooperative, our members are both our customers and our owners. Resiliency is one of the things they care most about. Outages today are far less tolerated than in the past, and projects like this give our community confidence that we’re building the kind of reliability they need,” said Guerry.

Brendan Cowan, San Juan County Emergency Manager, emphasized how the project ties directly into county-wide emergency planning.

“The Orcas Center is a trusted gathering place. Knowing that it now has the ability to keep operating during extended outages means we can integrate it fully into our emergency response planning. That’s a huge step forward for resilience on the island,” said Cowan.

Cascadia Renewables led the project’s development, feasibility study, and conceptual system design, translating Orcas Center’s operational and emergency needs into a technically sound project. They acted as the project’s developer and brought in key partners to deliver this project, including:

MZ Solar Consulting: System design validation and optimization
Mayfield Renewables: Electrical engineering and plan sets
Bradley Engineering & NGA: Structural and geotechnical engineering services
Ethos Civil Engineers: Civil site design and permitting support
Sulis Energy: General Contractor
Island Excavating: Site preparation and groundwork, Civil construction scope
Mills Electric: Electrical Contractor
Mammoth Construction: Civil and concrete work

Markus Virta, Managing Partner at Cascadia Renewables, reflected on the collaboration.

“Dimitri came to us with a vision and a challenge: how do we turn the Orcas Center into a place that can keep the lights on for the community when it matters most. Together with the Center and our partners, we collaboratively defined what resilience meant for this community and then built a project to deliver it. This project shows that when we work together, we can do hard things.”

The solar project is one of four finalists in SolarBuilder Magazine’s “Microgrid Project of the Year.” “As we are putting the final touches on the video case study for this project, we will be doing our best to amplify the message and hopefully get enough votes to secure first place in this fun and notable honor!” Virta said.

Trent Maw of Xendee, whose platform was used to validate system design, added:

“On a complex project like this, knowing that your technical and economic projections are correct is huge. Xendee’s analysis gave everyone confidence that the system would deliver on its goals of resilience and reliability. That confidence is what allows projects like this to move forward and inspire other communities.”

The Orcas Center microgrid reflects Washington State’s leadership in community-based resilience. By combining renewable generation with backup power, the project not only secures the Center’s role as the island’s cultural heart but also ensures it can serve as a lifeline in times of crisis and a model for other communities to follow.

Media Contact:
Markus Virta
Managing Partner, Cascadia Renewables
360-201-2067 / markus@cascadiarenewables.com

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