Wind Power News: Connecticut
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
House approves bipartisan plan for wind power off New London
Rep. John Piscopo, a Thomaston Republican who voted against the bill, said he has general concerns about the size and impact of gigantic turbines. “The footprint that these wind turbines take up — acres and acres of property,” Piscopo told his colleagues on the House floor. “The footprint to produce that kind of energy is huge. They’re going to dwarf any skyscraper you can think of. ... My concerns also are with the migratory bird population. A lot of our migratory birds follow the Gulf Stream. They call them the Cuisinarts of the sky. They really do chew up birds.” Complete story »
New London gets shorted in the wind deal
There was enough hot air blowing around New London for the recent announcement about plans to spend $93 million for a new wind turbine assembly facility here to light up more than a few quadrants of the state’s power grid. The politicians and wind power purveyors who secretly have been hatching this plan for many months in back rooms finally pulled back the curtain to congratulate themselves and tell the public, who will pay for it all, what is to . . . Complete story »
Zoning commission considers new rules on green-energy systems
Wind power, geothermal home-heating, and solar – ground mounted, pole mounted, roof mounted, and even wall mounted arrays— all went up for debate in front of the Planning and Zoning Commission at its March 19 public hearing. The hearing was an informal session for the commission to gather information as it plans new zoning rules to regulate solar panels and other alternative energy systems. How did the town get here? The commission’s plan to regulate solar and other green energy systems . . . Complete story »
Don’t let wind industry disrupt fishing industry
As owner of Empire Fisheries, one of Connecticut’s largest commercial fishing companies, I testified recently at a hearing before the General Assembly’s Energy and Technology Committee on two bills (SB 875 and HB 7156) in support of the state’s plan to procure clean energy from offshore wind turbines in federal waters. While in support of the bills, I cautioned, as many other fishermen have, that any authorization from the state for procuring wind energy must first guarantee protections that keep . . . Complete story »
Grid exec sees risks in gas, renewables reliance
New England’s growing reliance on natural gas and renewable power comes with a risk that demand for energy in the region could outpace available supplies. So says Gordon van Welie, CEO of ISO-New England, the organization that operates the regional electricity grid, in a “State of the Grid” conference call. While van Welie insisted that the energy infrastructure is a “strong foundation,” he did say it is vulnerable, since natural gas – the cornerstone of the region’s energy supply – is susceptible . . . Complete story »
In $225 million partnership, Eversource takes deep dive into offshore wind projects in Atlantic
Eversource is spending $225 million in a wind power partnership to move more quickly into offshore projects in New England, the utility announced Friday. The utility, which operates electric and gas systems in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, is buying a 50 percent stake in Ørsted’s Revolution Wind and South Fork Wind Farm projects in the Atlantic Ocean and a 257-square-mile tract off Massachusetts and Rhode Island. “We think it’s the future in this region,” said Lee Olivier, executive vice . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind project hits rough water in New England
America’s first major offshore wind project is caught in a crosswind. The Federal Regulatory Energy Commission declined this week to rule on a waiver that would have eased the wind developer’s entry into New England’s electricity market. The decision, or lack thereof, prompted an unusual round of public sniping among FERC commissioners on Twitter and highlights the simmering tensions in New England, where state climate ambitions are straining against the structure of the region’s wholesale electricity markets. Some environmentalists and . . . Complete story »
Nuclear wins big in clean energy competition – and not just Millstone
The final clean energy competition of the Malloy administration not only handed the Millstone Nuclear Power Station the lifeline it has sought for more than two years – claiming the plant was at risk of closing otherwise – but it also accepted a proposal from the region’s only other nuclear plant, Seabrook in New Hampshire, which is not claiming financial distress. Together the two plants account for some 1,256 megawatts of power – more than 82 percent of the overall bids accepted. . . . Complete story »
Connecticut groups concerned wind farm project won’t maximize economic potential for state
Officials with a coalition of Connecticut labor and environmental groups say they are concerned a company scheduled to begin providing the state with wind power in 2023 is not trying maximize the economic impact that the project will have. Representatives of the coalition, made up of more than two-dozen groups, sent a letter Wednesday to the two top executives of Orsted US Offshore Wind. In the letter, they expressed concern the company might not use a type of base that . . . Complete story »
Are Trojan horses full of windmill parts destined for New London?
Never mind the caravan of Hondurans headed toward the country’s southern border – I am worried about a theoretical caravan of giant Trojan horses, full of windmill parts, destined to be heading toward New London, which is being groomed as a principal East Coast host port for offshore wind farm development. Connecticut Democrats are excited about what is beginning to look like the inevitable formation of this windmill caravan. I don’t blame them. The prospect of a busy port in New . . . Complete story »
