More biodiesel coming to New Haven port

Innovation Fuels has plans to expand distribution operations into New Haven. The New Jersey-based company hopes to move about 12 million gallons per year through New Haven's port. The fuel will then be distributed throughout the region via rail and truck.

In tandem with the recent news that Greenleaf Buiofuels is building a production facility in the same neighborhood, New Haven is shaping up to be a regional epicenter for the renewable fuel.

Click here for a previous post on Greenleaf's production plans

Click here and here for more info on Innovation Fuel's distribution plans

Stimulus $$ for CT energy projects

$25 million is available for energy and conservation projects in CT. $15 million in grants directly through the DOE and another $10 million to be distributed by the state. Luther Turmelle reports here.

Mass give go-ahead to Cape Wind project

454 MW of clean, renewable energy coming to a grid near you. This will be the first offshore wind farm in the United States and one of the largest in the world (though larger ones are on the drawing board). Way to go Mass!

Links:

EERE release

Press release from Mass Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

List of offshore wind farms on wikipedia

Cape Wind (developer's website)

Last day to support CT Solar bill

Today is the day to call your rep and ask him or her to support bill SB6635. Among other things, the effort would help use solar to reduce summer peak loads. While widespread solar power usage might still be a relatively small portion of regional generation, solar works best in the blaring hot days where peak consumption threatens blackouts. The price of electricity on the pot market shoots up thousands of percent on these days, making solar generation a dollar-smart investment. Even UI is supporting the bill.

Advocates hoping for Senate OK of solar power bill (New Haven Register)
Click here to contact your Senator (via Clean Water Action)

More details from Roger Smith of Clean Water Action:

This bill provides stable funding for residential solar installations- no longer will households compete with large and expensive commercial solar installations for scarce funds

Without this bill there is no more commercial solar program for the foreseeable future in CT- that means no new solar systems on schools, town buildings, churches and businesses, and solar companies moving to states like MA and NJ with solar programs.

In addition to funding for solar on buildings, the bill allows for large freestanding solar installations on under-utilized lands like brownfields, landfills, parking lots, etc which aren't viable under current law.

Food-to-energy in Waterbury

A Mass group wants to turn former Brass plant (and current "brownfield") into a power plant fueled by food waste.  The plant would generate about 10 megawatts of electricity.  This is a respectable amount of power, though not large by industry standards.  For comparison, a typical fossil fuel plant which will produce several hundred or thousands of megawatts.  A large fuel cell power plant will produce several hundred kilowats or a few (<5) megawatts
Old Brass Mill In Waterbury Eyed For Food Waste Power Plant (Hartford Courant)
Praise and concerns from Waterbury blogger Bryan P. Baker

UI and politicians go head to head

How did I miss this one?

Showdown on Church Street (www.NewHavenIndependent.org)

Blumenthal, DeStefano rip UI executives (New Haven Register)

While I can understand the mayor's frustration at UI vacating a good deal of corporate real estate, I don't understand his position regarding the English Station.  UI was required by law to sell that plant.  They also gave almost $2 million to Quinnipiac Energy to clean up the site.  Though QE apparently frittered away that money without cleaning up the site, UI is still on the hook for the cleanup.  If anyone should be mad it should be the shareholders who will have to pay for the cleanup twice.   What did Quinnipiac Energy do with the money?

For more information on this, please click here to read my previous post on this matter.

UPDATE:  Here is the relevant info from UI's latest SEC filing.

A site on the Mill River in New Haven was conveyed by UI in 2000 to an unaffiliated entity, Quinnipiac Energy LLC (QE), reserving to UI permanent easements for the operation of its transmission facilities on the site.  At the time of the sale, a fund of approximately $1.9 million, an amount equal to the then-current estimate for remediation, was placed in escrow for purposes of bringing soil and groundwater on the site into compliance with applicable environmental laws.  Approximately $0.1 million of the escrow fund remains unexpended.  QE has since sold the property to Evergreen Power, LLC (Evergreen Power) and Asnat Realty LLC (Asnat).  UI is unaware of what agreement was reached between QE and Evergreen Power and Asnat regarding future environmental liability or what remediation activity remains to be undertaken at the site.  UI could be required by applicable environmental laws to finish remediating any subsurface contamination at the site if it is determined that QE and/or Evergreen Power and Asnat have not completed the appropriate environmental remediation at the site. In July 2008, Evergreen Power and Asnat submitted a claim seeking compensation for environmental remediation on the property, including the existing building which remains on the site. Based upon the current status of the evaluation, UIL Holdings has not recorded a liability related to this claim in its Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2009.

And the winner is...

Two Connecticut companies, Northeast Utilities and United Illuminating, are among eight finalists for the coveted Edison Award.  Both were chosen for work related transmission upgrades -- UI for the Singer substation and NU for various transmission lines.  Luther Turmelle has the story.  The Singer substation opened without a parade, but apparently it is the largest of its kind in North America.

I am at the edge of my seat here...