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.
New England states take fresh look at carbon fee
New England states have considered imposing economywide carbon fees before, but this year’s efforts have taken on a sense of urgency with an administration in Washington that is rolling back policies to control power-sector greenhouse gas emissions. The states already attack greenhouse gases as members of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap-and-trade program for buying and selling pollution credits aimed at ratcheting down emissions across New England and in New York, Delaware and Maryland. Renewed legislative efforts recognize . . .
Will CT catch or miss the boat on offshore wind energy?
Connecticut has a love-hate relationship with wind power. Okay, so far it’s mostly hate. While wind power is soaring nationally – now accounting for the most renewable generating capacity in the U.S. electric grid – eclipsing hydro for the first time late last year, Connecticut has been a laggard. There are just a couple of utility-scale turbines in Colebrook – the upshot of citizen opposition followed by a three-year moratorium while siting regulations worked their way through the state’s bureaucracy. . . .
Council voices concern with energy projects on farmland
HARTFORD, Conn. The Council on Environmental Quality wants Connecticut lawmakers and state environmental officials to encourage developers to build energy projects on previously developed sites, such as landfills and industrial lands. The council is raising concerns in a new report about the surge in proposals to build large solar electricity-generating facilities on farmland and forest lands. Susan Merrow, the council’s chairwoman, says the desire for land conservation and more renewable energy in Connecticut don’t have to be conflict. She says . . .
He is not sold on energy from wind
I want to report that there was a major wind farm in Hawaii called, Kamaoa and other wind farms on the island. And in California there were three major wind farms located at Altamont Pass, Tehachapi, and San Gorgonio, and are considered to be the world’s best wind sites. All of these projects have ultimately been an environmental and economic disaster. And finally, a critical review is needed of the use of wind turbines in Denmark and Germany. Denmark is . . .
Hey Connecticut, Vermont ridgelines, meadows are not for sale
Why is a Vermont developer seeking to blast important ridgeline habitat to install seven 499-foot-tall industrial wind towers near a residential Vermont neighborhood? Why is this developer seeking to build his wind plant when no Vermont electric utility wants to buy his power? The Vermont utilities have said that the cost of the power is too high, they do not need the power, and they will not support a project that the host town opposes (the town of Swanton, Vermont . . .
Zupkus’ Colebrook wind farm poised to grow
For Gregory Zupkus, president and CEO of West Hartford wind-power developer BNE Energy, 2016 proved to be a mixed bag. Though a massive wind project the company planned in Goshen doesn’t appear to have a viable path forward, Zupkus and his business partner, BNE Chairman Paul Corey – owners of the state’s sole commercial wind farm in Colebrook – could start construction on a third 3.5-megawatt turbine in Colebrook next year, following a successful bid into a state-run energy program. “We’re excited . . .
ISO-NE capacity requirement shows flat demand, more solar
The installed capacity requirement ISO-NE filed with FERC last week shows a continuing trend of slightly declining load growth and a greater reliance on behind-the-meter solar power (ER17-320). New England’s ICR for the upcoming 11th Forward Capacity Auction (delivery year 2020/21) is 34,075 MW. That represents a capacity need of 35,034 MW minus 959 MW of Hydro-Quebec Interconnection Capability Credits. In FCA 10 earlier this year, ICR resources of 35,126 MW were required. “There was a small drop in ICR, . . .
Appeals court blocks New England push for renewables
A federal appeals court in New York on Wednesday temporarily halted an effort by Connecticut to sign contracts for renewable electricity after a solar power developer complained that the process the state used to solicit renewables breached federal law. The lawsuit is the latest in a string of challenges to state efforts supporting certain types of electricity generation. Two weeks ago, NRG Energy Inc. and a group representing competitive power generators filed suit in federal court to block a key . . .
MA, CT, and RI to negotiate wind, solar deals; Unusual three-state bid process yields 7 projects
Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island announced on Tuesday that they intend to negotiate seven power purchase contracts with wind and solar developers selected through an unusual three-state bidding process. The so-called three-state RFP is an attempt by the three states to pool their buying power in the pursuit of clean energy needed to meet emission goals. The projects have a nameplate capacity of 461.2 megawatts, but they will produce less power than that because the facilities typically operate at less . . .
Town sued over value of wind site
COLEBROOK – Spirited public opposition to the construction of two wind turbines on Flagg Hill delayed their implementation by eight years, but the inauguration of the wind farm in 2015 did not end litigation. Wind Colebrook South, a subsidiary of BNE Energy of West Hartford, is suing the Town of Colebrook to seek redress from Assessor Michele Sloane’s assessment of the property. BNE and the town differ by some $4 million on the property’s evaluation. At issue is whether the . . .
