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 London, state leaders push offshore wind development as Mass., R.I. projects move forward
Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Wednesday tapped two offshore wind developers who also remain in the hunt to provide offshore wind power to Connecticut, where local officials and energy companies are pushing for a new hub of manufacturing in a growing industry. Massachusetts picked New Bedford-based Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and United Illuminating-parent company Avangrid, to develop the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S. In Rhode Island, Gov. Gina Raimondo announced the state . . . Complete story »
Cold snap tested reliability of region’s power grid and arguments against fossil fuels
As Maine and New England shivered through last winter’s historic cold spell, the region’s electric system faced an unprecedented prospect: rolling blackouts. Several troubling circumstances were converging. Natural gas was scarce and pricey. A power line failure sidelined one of New England’s largest power plants. Solar panels were covered with snow and wind turbines were buffeted by storms. The combination forced grid operators to ramp up 1960s-era technology to keep the lights on. For the first time, they strategically juggled . . . Complete story »
Proposed wind farms off of New London worry local fishermen
Fishermen were quick to react to the possibility of another wind farm off the New England coast. Last week, Ørsted and Eversource announced a joint venture and has submitted a bid to build Connecticut’s first offshore wind farm, in response to the state’s request for proposals for offshore wind energy generation. The approximately 200-megawatt project – Constitution Wind – would be the first of its kind to serve the state of Connecticut and would be located in federal waters 65 . . . Complete story »
DEEP details three offshore wind proposals
A day after two offshore wind developers announced proposals for Connecticut, state regulators released details of three total projects submitted this week, including one from New Bedford, Mass.-based Vineyard Wind LLC. Vineyard Wind will compete against proposals announced this week by Deepwater Wind and Baystate Wind, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Wednesday. A joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables – a subsidiary of Avangrid, United Illuminating’s parent company – Vineyard Wind would inject 190 megawatts of . . . Complete story »
Three wind power projects submitted to Connecticut DEEP
A request for renewable energy proposals by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has yielded three bids for generating power with offshore wind farms. The deadline for submitting the renewable energy proposals to DEEP was Monday. DEEP officials received a total of 27 bids, according to agency spokesman Chris Collibee. In addition to three proposals involving offshore wind farms, there were 20 involving fuel cells and four that would use anaerobic digestion, which processes plant materials into methane . . . Complete story »
Eversource Energy proposing wind farm off Connecticut coast
Eversource Energy and a Danish company are proposing a 200-megawatt wind farm that would be built 65 miles off the coast of New London in federal waters. Eversource and Orsted announced plans for the Constitution Wind project Monday. If built, it would be the first offshore wind project to serve Connecticut. “We are confident that Constitution Wind represents Connecticut’s strongest opportunity to meet its clean energy goals and become a national leader in offshore wind,” Mike Ausere, Eversource’s vice president . . . Complete story »
Region’s power grid manager gets OK for renewable-fossil fuel exchange auction
New England has gotten federal approval for a first-in-the-nation type of power supply auction. It’ll let new renewable energy projects take over for old fossil fuel plants on the grid. Once a year, the nonprofit grid operator ISO-New England holds an auction for power generators who want to supply energy for the region, starting three years out. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, decided this month that ISO can add a new auction to the process for next year. . . . Complete story »
Wind power proposals surpass natural gas plans
The manager of New England’s power grid says for the first time ever, there are more proposals for new wind power projects than there are for natural gas. But getting those wind turbines up and running is a totally different ballgame. About half of those new proposed wind projects would be onshore – in northern parts of New England. But here’s the problem: many don’t have a way to plug into the grid. “Half of the wind projects would be sited . . . Complete story »
Malloy, DEEP align on doubling clean-energy target
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the state’s environmental policy agency are both calling for the amount of clean and renewable power consumed in the state to double between 2020 and 2030. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) on Wednesday issued a final version of its Comprehensive Energy Strategy , which recommends a target of 40 percent clean energy over the decade, which would be an increase from the 20 percent target scheduled for 2020. Meanwhile, Malloy filed a . . . Complete story »
NECA panelists talk carbon pricing, Northern Pass
AUBURNDALE, Mass. – Speakers at the Northeast Energy and Commerce Association Renewable Energy Conference on Feb. 1 discussed the merits and viability of different methods to achieve New England’s aggressive emission reduction goals. These topics included carbon pricing, the Northern Pass transmission project and offshore wind energy. Utility and energy service representatives were joined by state and federal officials. Carbon Tax, Anyone? Michelle Gardner, Northeast director of regulatory affairs for NextEra Energy Resources, promoted her company’s alternative market model, the Forward . . . Complete story »
