Tuesday, Dec 16th, 6:30 PMHall of Records, Room G-2200 Orange StreetNew Haven, CT
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Tonight: UI seeks comments on rate increase
Monday, December 8, 2008
Now you see it, now you don't -- CT's solar rebate fund goes broke
Read more here (Business New Haven)
Solar leasing program here (CCEF)
Federal tax incentives here -- 41 page pdf (SEIA)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Biodiesel gets boost from state grants
Thursday, November 6, 2008
This Saturday: New London Sustainability Fair
Learn about efforts to reduce energy consumption, increase recycling and support sustainable practices
SATURDAY, NOV. 8, 2008
10:00AM – 1:00pm
New London Science & Technology
Magnet High School
490 Jefferson Avenue, New London
FREE FOR EVERYONE!
Money saving tips for conserving energy
Valuable information for your family
Commissioner Gina McCarthy,
CT Department of Environmental Protection
Connecticut Light & Power
Sponsored by New London Sustainability Committee
For more info visit http://nlsc.wordpress.com/
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
CT reduces solar rebate
As federal tax incentives for solar installations lose their $2k cap, the CT Clean Energy Fund is lowering its subsidy. CCEF says this reduction in benefit is a response to the increased federal aid and is meant to maintain the same percentage of out-of-pocket expense for the applicant. New rebates are shown below.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
UI seeks to raise rates
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
SCG customers to get rebate
Monday, October 6, 2008
"World's Fair of Energy Conservation" to be held in Hartford
Governor Rell's One Thing campaign is throwing a party. Well, actually an Expo. Come to Hartford Oct 10-12 to see this "dazzling" display. (more details here)
Conceived as a "World's Fair of Energy Conservation," and part of Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell's OneThing campaign, the OneThing Expo will be an engaging exploration of energy topics and an unforgettable celebration of conservation. The story will be told in bright detail by hundreds of individuals and organizations across the state - and the country - representing a myriad of industries and topics, including agriculture, recreation, transportation, building technology, the arts and education, alternative energy, consumer products and much more. More than 250 exhibitors and thousands of visitors from Maine to Maryland are expected to take part.Personally, I think most of us could do more than just one thing but I suppose that's just a catchy marketing phrase. It is easy to remember, like "a stitch in time saves nine" or "shut off the lights when you leave a room".
Tickets are $8 adults, $4 seniors, 12 & under free
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Spanish wind giant buys northeast NG company
Energy East owns CNG and SCG. Now Iberdola owns them.
Iberdola, incidentally, is the world's largest renewable energy operator. How that will affect me is unclear, but it doesn't sound like such a bad thing, does it?
P.S. According to Wikipedia, Iberdola's headquarter building in Bilbao was designed by New Haven's Cesar Pelli Architects.
P.P.S. I used to sweep the floors at Cesar Pelli Architects when I was a teenager. I remember them as nice people who work very late.
More fuel cell installations coming to CT
A 3.4 MW fuel cell/energy recovery generator project by FuelCell Energy in Bloomfield, Conn.
A 14.3 MW fuel cell/organic rankine cycle project by Bridgeport Fuel Cell Park, LLC in Bridgeport, Conn.
A 3.2 MW fuel cell/energy recovery generator project by FuelCell Energy in Trumbull, Conn.
A 3.2 MW fuel cell/energy recovery generator project by FuelCell Energy in Glastonbury, Conn.
A 3.2 MW fuel cell/ unfired gas turbine project by EPG Fuel Cell, LLC in Danbury, Conn.
Support Public Transportation
Hello everyone,
Tri-State Transportation Campaign urges you to contact both Senator Dodd and Senator Lieberman and urge them to co-sponsor or publicly support Senate Bill 3380, The Saving Energy through Public Transportation Act. This bill would bring approximately $20 million in operating funds from the federal government to Connecticut and could be used to stave off possible fare hikes on several of Connecticut's mass transit systems, including Metro-North and the Greater Bridgeport Transit system.
Adequate operating funding is integral to the overall and long term health of Connecticut's mass transit network. However, due to high energy costs and unexpected ridership numbers, these transit systems are finding their annual operating budgets are being depleted at faster than projected rates while the agencies ask the riders, often those that can afford it least, to pick up the tab.
So please take the time to reach out to Senators Dodd and Lieberman at the contact information below.
U.S. Senator Chris Dodd
448 Russell Building | Washington D.C., 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2823 | Fax: (202) 224-1083
30 Lewis St Suite 101 | Hartford, CT 06103
Tel: (860) 258-6940/(800) 334-5341 —CT only
Fax: (860) 258-6958
http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/3128
U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman
Washington, DC Office
706 Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4041
(202) 224-9750 Fax
Connecticut Office
One Constitution Plaza
7th Floor
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 549-8463 Voice
(800) 225-5605 In CT
(866) 317-2242 Fax
http://lieberman.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm?regarding=issue
Thanks in advance for your support and please let others know about this issue!
Best,
Ryan
Senior Planner/Connecticut Coordinator
Tri-State Transportation Campaign
350 West 31st Street, Suite 802
New York, NY 10001
www.tstc.org
NYC Office: 212-268-7474
CT Cell: 860-796-6988
LI Cell: 631-742-7528
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Event: Oil, War and the Future of American Foreign Policy
NEW HAVEN, CT -- Michael T. Klare, renowned security and energy expert, will speak at a forum on the geopolitics behind today's energy wars in the Middle East, Russia and Georgia, and innovative policy changes at the national and international level that can make a difference.
The forum, "Oil, War and the Future of American Politics," will be held from 3-5:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Educational Center for the Arts, 55 Audubon St., corner of Audubon and Orange Streets. Klare is the author of a new book, "Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy."
Preceding the talk will be a screening of the documentary film, "Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Dependence on Foreign Petroleum," based on Klare's book.
The event is a benefit for Squeaky Wheel Productions, nonprofit distributor of Between The Lines Radio Newsmagazine; and co-sponsors the Greater New Haven Peace Council and the New Haven/Leon, Nicaragua Sister City Project. Suggested donation is $15, $5 for students. Seating is limited, advance reservations recommended. For more information, visit www.squeakywheel.net or www.btlonline.org call 1-(203) 268-8446.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
We're "great"
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Energy Policy Database
Monday, August 11, 2008
Cheshire biodiesel plant for sale
According to Cheshire Town Council member Tim White, some unresolved disputes may complicate the purchase. Auction date is August 12th. According to this receiver's notice, there has been a "high volume of interest" in the facility.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Rebates available: get $$$$ back for upgrading your boiler or furnace
August 5, 2008
Duff: New Hotline Allows Residents to Take Advantage of Furnace Rebates
Call 1-866-940-4676 to request rebate application materials
State Senator Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) is urging all Norwalk and Darien residents considering replacing their home furnaces before this winter’s heating season to take advantage of a new state rebate program created by the General Assembly in 2007.
Under the program, Connecticut families with household incomes up to approximately $100,000 can receive a $500 rebate toward the purchase of a new, energy efficient furnace or boiler for their home. Families earning up to $200,000 may also be eligible for smaller rebates.
“Most homeowners don’t consider replacing their furnace unless it breaks down,” said Senator Duff. “But the reality is that replacing an inefficient furnace can help save hundreds of dollars on energy costs, especially during the winter heating season. This program is designed to make it easier for middle-income families to replace their old furnace or boiler with one that meets a higher efficiency standard.”
Senator Duff added, “With projected prices for heating oil this winter expected to be around $5 per gallon, it’s important that we do all we can to be prevent what could be a crisis for many Connecticut families. I’d expect the demand for this rebate program to be very high over the next few months, and I urge all of my qualifying constituents to take advantage of this opportunity very quickly.”
Forms and instructions for applying for the rebates will be available from the state Office of Policy and Management within two weeks. However, interested residents can begin immediately calling toll-free 1-800-940-4676 to request the forms, which will be mailed to home addresses.
The rebates are available for qualifying furnaces and boilers installed any time after July 1, 2007. Yesterday, the State Bond Commission approved $5 million to fund the program, which is expected to help about 100,000 middle-income Connecticut families this year.
State of Energy
Thursday, July 10, 2008
CL&P dips a little too deep
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Live Solar Action
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
States boost efficiency spending
For more info on free energy audits:
click here UI customers
click here CL&P customers
(hooray)
Monday, June 23, 2008
Many eggs, one basket
This op ed piece in the Norwich Bulletin calls on CT to fund only fuel cell-related clean energy projects. The goal, they say, is to support a long-term effort to develop cheaper alternatives to ever-growing fossil fuel costs. They really need to do some research and a little math before expressing their views.
The stated goal is to reduce "demand for electricity from fossil fuel-burning generators — and lower electric costs eventually." The vast majority of fuel cells run on fossil fuels. Others run on hydrogen that has been produced primarily using fossil fuels and nuke power (same grid that you and I use).
Fuel cells are relatively expensive -- even more expensive than the wind project example they use to bolster their point. Fuel cells typically come in at $4500/kw installed cost. The wind project is $200,000/50kW = $4000/kw. With zero fuel costs for the life of the turbine. While there have been many projections that fuel cell costs will come down, this number has not changed in many years.
The editorial derides the wind and solar installations for only providing power to a small facility. Unfortunately for their case, fuel cell installations are not much larger -- on the order of single-digit megawatts, compared to hundreds of megawatts for a traditional fossil fuel plant. Fortunately for us, small-scale distributed generation, like these projects, can go a long way towards reducing costs by stabilizing the regional grid and reducing congestion charges.
"There simply isn’t enough wind in Connecticut to produce enough electricity to make a dent in the state’s electric needs." Who says we need a single solution to supply the state's entire energy needs? That really seems impractical. In the end, we will have a mix of technologies like we do now (nuclear, oil, coal, hydroelectric, etc...).
There is no silver bullet. We should absolutely continue to support fuel cell development, but for large-scale power generation it is way too early to put all our eggs in one basket -- particularly a basket that has been under development for over 100 years and has yet to produce a single commercially viable product.
Shortening the work week to reduce energy costs
Thursday, June 12, 2008
High electric rates linked to deregulation
“Connecticut has not had the best, the most enlightened leadership in terms of electric deregulation,” said Quarterly co-editor Arthur Wright. “Too little attention was paid to the design of the (power) auctions used to establish so-called competitive prices..."
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Real estate developer may purchase fuel cell company
Sorry I have been absent for so long. Having one of these tends to drain any spare time you thought you had.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Fight The Hike in Hamden
Friday, April 11, 2008
Thule HQ goes solar
Thursday, April 10, 2008
New York says "No Thanks" to Broadwater
Good news for the opposition, but the war is likely to wage on in Federal courts. CT has no jurisdiction over the proposal as the facility would lie entirely on the NY side of Long Island Sound.
CT Sec of State Susan Bysiewicz put out this press release regarding the decision.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Broadwater approved by FERC
The Broadwater LNG terminal floated past one of it's last remaining regulatory roadblocks yesterday. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission welcomed the project with open arms and rebuffed Connecticut officials who opposed it. Blumenthal threatened to sue. Approvals from the US Coast Guard and several NY state departments are pending. Let's hope the new NY governor has his mind on his job.
FERC press release
CT Governor Jodi Rell press release
NH Register article
Richard Blumenthal press release
New Haven Independent
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Two takes on CT's fuel cell investment strategy
"The state already has 20 percent of the world's fuel cell producing work force."Wow, 20 percent out of the whole world! Sounds impressive, but according to this piece in the Hartford Courant, this amount to only 1,200 jobs. That's less than 0.1% (one tenth of one percent) of jobs in the state.
My opinion -- buy technologies that make sense. Will forty million-dollar fuel cell bus recuperate the investment in fuel savings? Will they have a significant impact on emissions? The technology will take off when it can compete on these levels. Already there are niche markets where fuel cells make sense and more are developing as the technology improves.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Greenwich considers biodiesel
Monday, March 17, 2008
Whole Foods fuel cell
Whole Foods' new store in Glastonbury will be equipped with a 200KW fuel cell, compliments of our mandatory donations to the CCEF.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Broadwater still brewing
Residents understand the cost of energy. They pay for it every day. And most of them work hard to be able to make those payments.
They get it. But what Mr. Hritcko doesn't seem to understand is that protecting Long Island Sound is important to them. They believe the risk to the Sound, which they consider one of Connecticut's greatest assets, to be too great. They see an environmental disaster in the making.
Broadwater's take here.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Raising the age, lowering the consumption
Governor Jodi Rell says she's not interested in raising the driving age from 16 to 17. Aside from the safety issues, she (and the legislation) should consider this effect on energy consumption. According to the 2000 census, about 2% of the driving-age population is 16. A 2% reduction in fuel consumption would be a significant achievement. Actually, it might be higher as a 16-year-old might spend more time on the road than an 80-year-old. I would encourage the legislation to investigate this more thoroughly.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Sunny Windsor Locks
Hamilton Sundstrand has partnered with US Renewables Group in California to create an innovative plan for solar energy storage. They will heat molten salt to 1000F and use it to generate steam for a steam turbine. HS claims that the molten salt retains more heat over time than water or other commonly used fluids, thereby reducing energy loss and increasing overall efficiency.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Trying to stay warm?
Here is a good resource with creative ways to lower heating bills without spending a fortune.
Check out this one showing how to install a simple acrylic interior storm window, including a payback analysis (less than one year for the example shown).