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...

Greenleaf to produce biofuel in New Haven

Greenleaf Biofuels, based in Guilford, CT, was awarded $1.3 million from the state of Connecticut to support a major biodiesel production facility in New Haven.  With 6.7 million gallons of renewable biodiesel pumping out every year (over 18,000 gallons per day), this will be one of the largest biodiesel facilities in the Northeast.   The plant will use waste oil as feedstock and is said to be a "next generation" facility.  Would love to hear more details.

 

Greenleaf Biofuels, LLC

Article in EnergyCurrent

Article from New Haven Register (pdf)

West Hartford energy plan

Major props to West Hartford's Clean Energy Task Force for compiling a comprehensive energy plan that will save the town hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.  Let this serve as a model for all of Connecticut's municipalities.

Click here for the plan

Click here for a Hartford Courant article

State Energy Authority

Dick Blumenthal makes a case for a state-owned energy authority in the Hartford Courant. I have to say, this sounds pretty good though I would love to hear a good rebuttal. One little item that irked me is that he questioned why electric rates didn't drop with fuel prices (as they did at the gas station after oil prices dropped).

If high oil and natural gas prices were the cause, electric rates should have fallen along with fuel prices. Rates have barely budged.

I think he is probably aware that our rates are based on long(ish)-term contracts that buffer sharp rises and dips in fuel costs. However, I do not deny that profit seeking middlemen are primary driver in our high costs.

As someone who thinks we need to use less energy, though, I have to say I am not as outraged by these prices as many others are. People are actually using less electricity. My bill is manageable because I do everything I can to conserve. People are kicking and screaming about the high rates, but is everyone really doing all they can to use less? Are they using air conditioners as soon the thermometer gets into the 70s? Still using incandescent bulbs? Leaving a large screen TV on all the time? I bet there's a lot more we can all do to make our electric bills more irrelevant.