The DOE announced July 20 that UConn was one of nine universities across the coun­try chosen to take part in the program, which is aimed at the clean and efficient operation of turbines using fuels derived from coal and containing high amounts of hydrogen.

Read more here: UConn picked to do turbine efficiency research :: Mansfield Today.

UTC Director of Sustainability Paul Vitello. (contributed photos)

On Wednesday, Jan. 26, United Technologies opened the doors of its Hamilton Sundstrand plant in Windsor Locks to peer companies and suppliers to explain what works – and how – in cutting energy costs and consumption.  The U.S. Department of Energy cited United Technologies as an energy efficiency leader and executives from Carrier, Pratt & Whitney, Hamilton Sundstrand and Sikorsky will share success stories on energy efficiency and sustainability. 

The Save Energy Now LEADER showcase was held from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Hamilton Sundstrand in Windsor Locks.  The event featured guest speaker Paul Scheihing, of the U.S. Department of Energy Development and Deployment.  Attendees toured the Hamilton Sundstrand plant and received the Supplier Energy Management Guidebook – an industry first, which shares UTC best practices. 

In 2009, United Technologies joined the U.S. Department of Energy’s Save Energy Now initiative.  Over the past 20 years UTC has cut its energy use and reduced greenhouse gas emissions at its global facilities.

(l-r) Paul Vitello, UTC Director of Sustainability; Scott Livington, Horst Engineering; Derek Sharron, Whitcraft Group; Riva Krut, Praxair Inc.

The Fund is being recognized for its work in helping Connecticut organizations advance the efficient use of energy, reduce air pollution and negative environmental impacts, and promote energy security, resulting in cost savings and greener, more sustainable organizations.
 
The AEE-CT, an organization that promotes energy education and fosters action for sustainable energy efficient development, presented the award to the Energy Efficiency Fund at a ceremony at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford on Nov. 30, Mark Twain’s 175th birthday.

Read the Mark Twain House case study here.

Ron Araujo (left) of Connecticut Light and Power accepts the "2010 Leadership in Energy Efficiency" award on behalf of the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund from the Association of Energy Engineers-CT Chapter President Dan Wheatley.

“The Fund was chosen for this leadership award because of its involvement in our award-winning energy efficiency projects. In fact, they are typically involved in all of our projects,” said Certified Energy Engineer and AEE-CT President Dan Wheatley. “The Energy Efficiency Fund is supported by utility customers with a small charge on their monthly bills and is used for qualified projects that have a major impact on the energy usage of businesses and residences in Connecticut. Additionally, the Fund helps create jobs, stimulates local businesses, saves fresh water from the mechanical cooling process, and reduces emissions, to name just some of the benefits.”
 
“In 2010 alone, approximately 2,500 businesses in Connecticut participated in a Fund program along with nearly 25,000 residents who received in-home services and thousands more who purchased compact fluorescent lamps at a discount provided by the Fund or redeemed a rebate for a new ENERGY STAR appliance,” said Rich Steeves, Chairman of the Energy Efficiency Board.
 
Connecticut businesses, families and municipalities are projected to save nearly $51 million in energy costs in 2010 as a result of energy saved through Fund programs. The programs are administered by CL&P, UI and the natural gas utilities with guidance from the Energy Efficiency Board and oversight by the Department of Public Utility Control.
 
“The Energy Efficiency Fund’s relationships with professional trade organizations like the AEE and other trade allies are vital to the Fund,” said Ron Araujo, of Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P), who accepted the award on behalf of the Fund. “We partner with trade allies on thousands of projects a year to promote energy efficiency and improve the competitive business environment in Connecticut.”
 
At the event, the Mark Twain House & Museum also received an “Excellence in Design and Engineering Energy Award” for its participation in the Energy Efficiency Fund’s Small Business Energy Advantage program. The Fund provided incentives and CL&P provided technical expertise that enabled the museum to switch all its lighting to super-efficient LEDs, saving them approximately 50 percent on their electricity costs each year.
 
The Energy Efficiency Fund promotes efficient energy use, helps residents and businesses save on their electric and natural gas bills, advances economic development reduces electric demand and helps reduce air pollution.  Energy Efficiency Fund programs serve residential customers, including limited-and fixed-income customers, as well as business and municipal customers.  Connecticut’s energy efficiency programs are funded by a charge on customers’ utility bills and administered by the state’s electric and gas utilities including: Connecticut Light and Power, United Illuminating, Yankee Gas, Connecticut natural Gas and Southern Connecticut Gas.  Additional information on Connecticut’s energy efficiency programs can be found at www.ctenergyinfo.com or by calling 1.877.WISE.USE.

HARTFORD – The air in Connecticut last week was the most polluted of the summer and, for many towns, the worst in more than two years. Part of the problem was a big demand for electricity caused by the large number of inefficient air conditioners in the state, according to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).

The CEQ explained that as the temperature goes up and people start their air conditioners, seldom-used power plants are called upon by ISO New England – the company that oversees the regional electricity supply – to start generating electricity to meet the peak demand. Some of these so-called “peaking plants” are more expensive to operate and produce more pollution on an hourly basis when compared to regularly-operating power plants.

As an example, the CEQ noted that the “South Meadow Jets” facility in Hartford, which is used only rarely, was called upon to produce electricity last Thursday (Sept. 2) to help meet the heightened demand. According to recent CEQ research, the South Meadows facility – which is essentially eight aging turbine engines that burn jet fuel – puts out more particulate matter on an hourly basis than almost any other power plant in the state.

The South Meadows Station is owned by the Connecticut Resources and Recovery Authority (CRRA). Aside from the occasional load of wood chips several years ago, the plant has used nothing but municipal solid waste as fuel since the late 1990s, according to CRRA’s Paul Nonnenmacher.

Hartford Electric Light Company (HELCO) corrected smoke problems at the South Meadows plant by converting from coal to oil in 1967. In 1970 CL&P installed four internal combustion jet-fueled turbines each with a nominal rating of 46 MW for peaking capacity at the South Meadows station. These units are classified as “black start” which means they have the capability to be started and brought to full capacity in minutes in the event of a power failure. In 1987 and 1988 the two abandoned coal-fueled steam generators constructed in the late 1940s at CL&P’s South Meadows Station were reactivated by the Connecticut Resources and Recover Authority and CL&P as a trash-to-energy facility with a total capacity of 64 MW of electricity. CL&P currently owns no generating facilities. Today the company is “strictly poles and wires.”

According to the CEQ, the added pollution from these peaking plants is not an inevitable consequence of hot weather.

“Our choice is not between keeping cool and sweltering,” said CEQ Chair Barbara Wagner. “Our choice is between cooling our homes in an efficient way or in an inefficient way.”

More information from CRRA about their peaking power plant:

CRRA owns a peaking power plant which is adjacent to the Mid-Connecticut Project trash-to-energy facility in Hartford’s South Meadows.

The peaking plant is activated remotely by the Connecticut Valley Electric Exchange and can reach the maximum wattage of 160 MW in less than 15 minutes.

Although the peaking plant is less efficient than the units at base-load power plants, the peaking plant operates only a few hours per year. The peaking plant is operated in full compliance with all applicable permits, orders and regulations, including a Title V Air Operating Permit issued by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. DEP has issued CRRA a trading order, allowing it to buy credits to offset any exceedances of emissions limits.

DEP has also ordered CRRA to determine the steps necessary to bring the peaking plant into compliance with emissions regulations and the costs of those steps. A report is due in 2011.
 
The peaking plant consists of four electric generator sets, each capable of producing 40 megawatts (MW) of electricity. Each generator set consists of two Pratt & Whitney FT4A-9 jet engines typically used for aircraft applications on Boeing 707 and B-52 aircraft. The FT4A-9s run on jet fuel.

Compared with base-load power plants that run continuously, peaking power plants are only run when demand for electricity nears its peak – hence the term “peaking plant.” As demand increases, the Independent System Opeerator-New England (ISO-NE), which operates the regional power grid, brings peaking units online.

ISO-NE – not CRRA – determines when to activate the peaking units and for how long.
 
Recently, ISO activated this peaking plant on Sept. 2 and Sept. 4 to meet an unusually high demand for power. The “jets,” as they are known, ran for about three and a half hours at a time. Although the jets have the ability to run around the clock, in the past few years they have averaged about 12 to 18 hours of service per year.

Hartford’s peaking plant went into commercial operation on June 1, 1970. CRRA acquired the plant in 2001 from Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) after legislation restructuring Connecticut’s electric utility industry required CL&P to sell its generation assets. At the same time, CRRA acquired the electric generating portion of the adjacent trash-to-energy plant.

A 5 million-gallon jet fuel storage tank is adjacent to the peaking plant and the site includes a common maintenance shop and office building. The tank was installed in 1945 and needs to be replaced, so starting in the fall of 2010 CRRA will remove the existing fuel tank and replace it with a 550,000-gallon tank – almost 90 percent smaller – which ISO agreed will be sufficient for the peaking plant’s limited hours of operation.

The complete news release from CEQ can be found at http://www.ct.gov/ceq/lib/ceq/September_2010_IOTM_Release.pdf or it may be viewed on the CEQ’s website at http://www.ct.gov/ceq.

A reel mower as seen on www.reelmowers.org, "The ultimate guide to push reel lawnmowers"

Program Pays 80 Percent of Replacement Costs for Lawn and Grounds Equipment

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has announced a new state initiative that will reimburse cities and towns for 80 percent of the cost of purchasing new energy-efficient lawn and grounds maintenance equipment. 

The Lawn Equipment Exchange Fund (LEEF) is administered by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) The program has $500,000 available for reimbursements to cities and towns when they replace older equipment with new cleaner equipment that meets U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or California small engine standards.  The LEEF program will help to achieve reductions in overall air pollution, air toxics and greenhouse gasses.

“This innovative program will contribute to our ongoing efforts to make Connecticut’s air cleaner.  The program is also a plus for municipal pocketbooks and local taxpayers, as it gives cities and towns an opportunity to replace outdated equipment at little cost. Just like getting old cars off the road is a real benefit to our environment, mothballing old lawnmowers helps us all breathe a little easier,” Governor Rell said.

According to EPA, an older gasoline-powered push mower emits as much hourly pollution as 11 cars and an older riding mower emits as much hourly pollution as 34 cars.  This air pollution contributes to the formation of ozone, or smog, and haze in Connecticut.  By replacing older equipment, municipalities can have equipment that is up to 70 percent cleaner than the old equipment.”

The program allows municipalities to seek an 80% reimbursement for purchasing replacement equipment such as: 

• Lawn mowers
• Leaf blowers and vacuums
• Shredders and chippers
• Selected 2- and 4-cycle equipments such as chainsaws, trimmers, bush saws and edgers

Because this program is designed to combat emissions issues during warm weather months when air quality is more of an issue, equipment such as snow blowers and snow throwers are not eligible.

“As we continue to make major strides toward cleaning up large sources of air pollution we cannot lose sight of smaller, but also significant, sources of emissions,” the Governor said.

The program is financed with settlement funds from an interstate air pollution case filed by Connecticut, New York and New Jersey in the fall of 1999 against a Midwestern power generator, Ohio Edison.  In August 2003, a Federal Judge ruled in favor of Connecticut and the other states, finding that the company had violated the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review (NSR) provisions.

For further information on the LEEF and application procedures, visit the DEP’s website at www.ct.gov/dep/mowerexchange.

There is a slew of energy efficient lawn mowers for sale online and available for viewing via our friends at MowGreen.us.

One community is Farmington, which will receive $300,000 to correct substandard conditions and incorporate energy efficient/Energy Star technologies in 12 low- and moderate-income housing units.

via CT towns collecting million in block grants | Hartford Business.

State Senator John W. Fonfara (D-Hartford), who is co-chairman of the legislature’s Energy and Technology Committee, today joined Congressman John. B Larson (D-1st District), Harford Mayor Pedro E. Segarra, Connecticut Landmarks’ Executive Director Sheryl N. Hack and others at a ground- breaking ceremony at the Butler-McCook House & Garden in Hartford to celebrate the installation of a new closed-loop geothermal heating system at the Connecticut Landmarks’ Hartford Campus.

This geothermal system—in which shallow wells are drilled to extract geothermal energy from the ground—will replace the existing, inefficient heating and cooling systems and will save Connecticut Landmarks an estimated $3,833 per year in energy costs at the Butler-McCook House & Main Street History Center.

The new system will also replace a non-code compliant system in the Amos Bull House, which is attached to the Butler-McCook Carriage House, thereby providing additional energy savings.

“This new project is a perfect example of how energy-efficiency improvements can help cut costs for businesses, homes and non-profit organizations alike,” Sen. Fonfara said. “This project will serve as a beacon for other non-profits and institutions important to our community who want to use modern technology to protect and maintain pieces of our past and our history.’’

“As a member of the House Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, I believe that ending our dependence on foreign oil is one of our most important challenges,” Congressman Larson said. “We must invest and build these new sources of energy right here in America. In order to do that, we need efforts from organizations like Connecticut Landmarks to lead the way.”

“Hartford is one of America’s oldest cities but it is always looking to be on the cutting edge of energy efficiency,” Mayor Segarra said. “Through our school building projects and other renovations and retrofitting, the City is looking to be environmentally responsible and sustainable as part of our ‘One City, One Plan’ for conservation and development.”

The Connecticut Landmarks’ campus—which includes the Butler-McCook House & Garden, the Amos Bull House and the Main Street History Center—has received a $120,000 grant from the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism to complete the geothermal HVAC renovations. This $120,000 grant is being matched by an additional $120,000 from the William and Alice Mortensen Foundation.

Eight geothermal wells and related equipment will be installed to support heating and cooling needs for the Hartford site’s multiple buildings; Energy Star-certified equipment will also be placed on the property as a backup. Connecticut Landmarks’ offices will be relocated into the Amos Bull house after the renovations are complete.

“Installation of this system is evidence of our commitment to create a new 21st century model for sustainable historic preservation,” said Connecticut Landmarks’ Executive Director Sheryl N. Hack.

Connecticut Landmarks is a statewide private nonprofit organization that owns and operates a dozen historic properties across Connecticut, including the Butler-McCook House. The organization seeks to spread knowledge and appreciation for Connecticut history through its museums and collections.

For more information about Connecticut Landmarks and its work, please visit: http://www.ctlandmarks.org.

Following complaints that they were unsightly and posed a potential liability for the Greenwich Housing Authority, the clotheslines were dismantled and the polls pulled out of the ground Thursday morning.

The Connecticut Chapter of the Sierra Club in 2009 support the Right to Dry bill. The key was “saving energy,” not boxers or briefs.

via Clotheslines cut down at Quarry Knoll I senior complex – StamfordAdvocate.

Connecticut’s Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) issued a draft decision Aug. 26, 2010, that rejects the plan that would allow ratepayers to save millions of dollars.

This measure, supported by environmental groups including ENE (Environment Northeast), would have enabled ratepayers to take the least costly path to fulfilling their energy needs through increased efficiency.

Because efficiency programs reduce the need for generation from plants burning fossil fuels, they are the most cost effective and easily available option for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, NOx, SOx, and other pollutants.

In 2020 alone, the DPUC’s draft decision rejecting additional efficiency would:

• Send an additional $423 million to generators,
• Release 633,079 additional tons of CO2 into the atmosphere – the lifetime
  savings that would be generated by installing solar PV systems on 15,000
  homes
• Increase NOx emissions by 144 tons and SOx emissions by 552 tons, and
• Prevent a $509.6 million boost in our gross state product.

These are the benefits from just one year of a plan that would lower electricity costs between now and 2020 and beyond.

Exacerbating the recent raid on the efficiency fund imposed by P.A. 10-197, which diverts 35% of our efficiency funds to the general fund starting in 2012, this DPUC decision would further diminish Connecticut residents’ ability to control energy costs and emissions in a cost effective manner.

The plan was developed pursuant to the 2007 energy act, which requires the development of a comprehensive plan to meet the electric energy and capacity requirements of customers “in a manner which minimizes the cost of such resources to customers over time and maximizes consumer benefits consistent with the state’s environmental goals and standards.”

The proposal before the DPUC met these legislative requirements and would have resulted in the lowest total costs for electric customers. The draft decision rejecting this proposal is contrary to this legislation, which specifically states that “resource needs shall first be met through all available efficiency and demand reduction measures that are cost-effective, reliable and feasible.”

The DPUC will hold oral arguments on Friday, Sept. 3, 2010, at 11 a.m. at 10 Franklin Square in New Britain. It plans to issue a final decision on Sept. 8.

For more information on how to speak out against this decision, please contact Jessie Stratton at jstratton@env-ne.org.

For more information or to voice your opinion on this issue to make a difference, contact the DPUC directly:

Department of Public Utility Control
Ten Franklin Square
New Britain, CT 06051
Phone:  860-827-1553 (Main Number)
Fax:  860-827-2822 (Main Fax)  
Email: dpuc.information@po.state.ct.us or dpuc.executivesecretary@po.state.ct.us

Click here for a video about the solar installation.

A 1910 farmhouse is now a state-of-the-art green home

One of Connecticut’s most amazing “green renovation homes” will be open to the public on Saturday, August 28. The 1910 Westport farmhouse has been transformed into a state-of -the-art green home by the owner/architect. Between noon and 4 p.m., ticket holders will learn about the unique features of this Energy Star-rated home. The owner and vendors will be available to answer questions.

Sponsored by People’s Action for Clean Energy, Inc., the solar tour will include one of the first systems in the US combining solar electricity and solar hot water–a “Synergy Roof”–plus a “heat-recovery” system in one roof-integrated installation. The new solar Schuco-USA solar roof thus combines solar electric, solar hot water and solar air heating technologies.
The home’s high-efficiency wood-burning stove with bake oven heats the whole downstairs. Additional energy-saving features include a Carrier hybrid gas/electric heating and cooling system, Pella low-e windows, high density foam insulation, as well as compact fluorescent and LED lighting. Tour-goers will also see bamboo floors, Energy Star appliances, clean energy literature, CT Green Building Council and CT Clean Energy Fund rebate information.

Tickets, including a map, for the rain-or-shine tour may be ordered by sending $15 per person to PACE c/o Donna Grant, 128 Melrose Road, Broadbrook, CT. The non-refundable tickets may also be ordered online at www.pace-cleanenegy.org by clicking on “Events.”

Tickets may be purchased on the day of the tour for $20 each at 130 Compo Road South in Westport. For general information, call 860-693-4813. For ticket information, call 860-623-5487. For specifics on the home and systems, contact John Rountree AIA at 203-227-0674 or e-mail jrsolar@earthlink.net.

For a recent story in Westport Patch visit http://westport.patch.com/articles/architect-hopes-to-live-off-the-grid.

The program makes available rebates for businesses and nonprofits for approved cost-efficiency building improvements The program is being administered by the Litchfield Hills Council of Elected Officials. New Hartford has been allocated $16,000 to be awarded locally.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

LITCHFIELD HILLS BUSINESS ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE – The Litchfield Hills Council of Elected Officials believes that promoting energy efficient commercial buildings is important to the economic health of the Litchfield Hills region. The intent of the Litchfield Hills Business Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP) is to strengthen the economic viability of the region’s businesses through a comprehensive energy efficiency improvement program. By providing a financial incentive for improving the energy efficiency of business buildings, we hope to stimulate reinvestment in those buildings and facilitate local economic development.

For more, read: BEEP For Energy Efficiency Grants For Businesses | newhartfordplus.com.

The fuel cells will provide base load electricity and heat for a boiler at an existing energy plant, with a total efficiency of 80 per cent.

The fuel cells will be installed and operated by LOGANEnergy.

The submarine base is home port for a fleet of attack submarines and the Navy’s nuclear research deep submersible vessel NR-1. It has housing and support facilities for over 21,000 civilian workers and it supports 70 tenant commands.

“The purpose is to help local businesses and provide an incentive for energy efficiency,” Rick Lynn, LHCEO planning director said.

The city of Torrington, in cooperation with the LHCEO, was awarded with a $200,000 Economic Recovery Grant from the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management to fund BEEP.

via Litchfield Hills Business Energy Efficiency Program underway – The Register Citizen.

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Washington, D.C. — Yale University has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop technologies aimed at safely and economically storing carbon dioxide in geologic formations. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the DOE is awarding a total of 15 projects up to $21.3 million over three years to help develop the technology and infrastructure to implement large-scale CO2 storage in different geologic formations across the nation.

The projects selected will support the goals of helping reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, developing and deploying near-zero-emission coal technologies and making the U.S. a leader in mitigating climate change.

“The projects announced today are part of this Administration’s commitment to leading the world in carbon capture and storage technology,” Chu said. “These projects will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, develop clean energy innovation and help produce jobs for Americans across the Nation.”

The Connecticut based project selected for award:

• Yale University (New Haven, Conn.) — Yale University will study basic questions about the chemical and mechanical processes that must occur in basalt reservoirs for carbonation to be practical on a large scale. Experiments will address the question of whether the in situ reaction can sustain itself by generating cracks, or will shut itself down by constricting the pore space. The study is designed to provide a basis for scaling up to future field tests of mineral carbonation in basaltic reservoirs. (DOE share: $1,597,187; Duration: 36 months)

Geologic storage is currently focused on five types of formations: (1) depleted oil and gas reservoirs, (2) deep saline formations, (3) unmineable coal seams, (4) oil- and gas-rich organic shales, and (5) basalts. Carbon storage in depleted oil and gas reservoirs can also increase oil or gas production, while storage of CO2 in deep saline formations holds the promise of enormous worldwide capacity, with estimates of thousands of gigatonnes of storage.

Efforts are underway to demonstrate safety and permanence of geologic sequestration through initiatives such as the Department of Energy’s Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships. The 15 selected projects will complement ongoing efforts by developing and testing technologies that address critical challenges for geologic storage including injectivity of CO2 into the reservoir, storage capacity, plume migration, and containment by caprock and other trapping mechanisms.

For more information about the selections and geologic storage visit Office of Fossil Energy.

In other Dept. of Energy news: 

The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings, led by Steven Winters Associates, is one of 15 partnerships to divvy up $30 million recently awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy, under a program designed to address barriers to bringing high-efficiency homes within reach for all Americans, both for newly built homes and retrofits of existing homes.

via Westfair Online – CARB gets cash for efficiency.

via Litchfield Hills Business Energy Efficiency Program underway – The Register Citizen.

Danbury-based FuelCell Energy, a manufacturer of high efficiency ultra-clean power plants using renewable and other fuels for commercial, industrial, government, and utility customers has announced the sale of two 300KW DFC300 fuel cell power plants to be installed at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base New London, in Groton, CT.

The two DFC300 fuel cell power plants will be installed adjacent to the existing energy plant on the Base and will provide reliable base load electricity to the Base. The byproduct heat generated by the fuel cell energy conversion process will be utilized for pre-heating the water used in the boiler at the existing energy plant, reducing fuel costs for the Base. FuelCell Energy’s partner, LOGANEnergy will purchase, install and operate the fuel cell power plants, subcontracting maintenance services to FuelCell Energy under a three year service contract.

The efficiency of fuel cells is almost 80 percent when the byproduct heat from the energy conversion process is utilized for facility heating or heating water. This high efficiency reduces greenhouse gas emissions, improving the carbon footprint for the Base.

According to Richard Shaw, Director Business Development FuelCell Energy, the company’s fuel cell power plants decrease greenhouse gas emissions and virtually eliminate the emission of harmful pollutants compared to combustion based power generation alternatives while improving the security and reliability of the power supply.

Naval Submarine Base New London is the U.S. Navy’s first submarine base and is the home port for a fleet of attack submarines and the Navy’s nuclear research deep submersible NR-1. The base is located on the east side of the Thames River in Groton, CT and the main base occupies more than 687 acres. The base supports more than 70 tenant commands including, Commander Submarine Group 2, Naval Submarine School, Naval Submarine Support Facility, three submarine squadron staffs, and the housing and support facilities for more than 21,000 civilian workers, active-duty service members and their families.

LOGANEnergy is a dedicated fuel cell energy service company, specializing in designing and developing fuel cell projects. Founded in 1993, LOGANEnergy’s worldwide portfolio exceeds 11 MW of fuel cell capacity with more than 150 installations at 100 sites.

DFC fuel cells are generating power at over 50 locations worldwide. The company’s power plants have generated over 500 million kWh of power using a variety of fuels including renewable wastewater gas, biogas from beer and food processing, as well as natural gas and other hydrocarbon fuels. FuelCell Energy has partnerships with major power plant developers and power companies around the world. The company also receives funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and other government agencies for the development of leading edge technologies such as fuel cells. For more information please visit our
website at www.fuelcellenergy.com

As one of the Northeast’s fastest-growing integrators of solar photovoltaic systems, over the last 5 years the Sun Electric team has overseen and participated in the design, development, installation or implementation of over $30 million in successful solar and clean energy projects, more than 150 commercial & residential clean energy projects in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

“We are growing as a result of the desire of people and businesses to seek more sustainable and cost-effective energy consumption,” said Sun Electric President Steven Guzda. “Our team of engineers, project managers, sales consultants and technicians facilitate every aspect of our customers’ transition to clean energy sources and energy efficiency systems.”

Sun Electric’s customers find their clean energy installation and integration a painless and profitable experience. “Sun Electric handled the installation of our 210 KW solar system beautifully. They were fast and efficient creating no disruptions to our enterprise,” said Adam Heminover of Hausmann Industries, Inc. “They were knowledgeable, answered every question, dealt with every problem and left us with a state-of-the-art solar system and grid interconnect that has worked flawlessly and saved us dollars from day one.”

Sun Electric’s commitment to delivering an unmatched customer experience has fueled its rapid expansion throughout Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey with plans to expand to Florida, Massachusetts and Maryland in the near future. The company expects to continue to add highly qualified professionals to its team creating more Clean Energy jobs for the regions it serves.

via Avon Old Farms School completes energy efficiency analysis | Foothills Media Group.

via Glastonbury Gets Energy Grant For Green Initiatives – Courant.com.

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Track star: Without movement planner, a freight train leaving Louisville, KY would arrive in Macon, GA in about 27 hours. With Movement Planner, that same train would arrive in 22.5 hours. Saving more than 4 hours of travel.

Norfolk Southern and GE Transportation today announced the success of the new technology, which as described in the video below, has already been rolled out along a 200-mile stretch in Georgia. The efficiency gains from RailEdge can increase the average speed of trains by 10 to 20 percent, which translates into as much as four miles per hour. In the world of freight rail, that’s a whopping amount when you consider that every mile per hour faster a freight train travels, a railroad can save up to $200 million a year in capital and expenses.

via RailEdge tech: Faster, smarter trains to save millions | GE Reports.

via Two Conn. Companies Get $7 Million For Energy Efficiency Work – Courant.com.

The grant, which came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block grant program, will be used to hire an energy consultant who will work amongst the six towns in identifying areas to save energy and energy costs and work on short-term and long-range energy savings plans, among other tasks.

via Guilford Energy Task Force Wins $280K Grant | Zip06 , Guilford, CT 06437.

Connecticut’s high energy costs hurt our economy by making our businesses less competitive and by reducing the amount of money residents have to spend on other in-state goods and services. Pollution from burning fossil fuels to generate electricity and heat our homes, businesses and institutions causes significant health problems and contributes to climate change that threatens our coastline, valuable natural resources, health, and economy.

The simplest, most cost-effective way to advance Connecticut’s human, environmental and economic health is to make our energy use as efficient as possible:

• Energy efficiency is the lowest cost, cleanest energy resource we can buy.
• Energy efficiency provides greater job creation than any other energy resource.
• Energy efficiency increases state economic productivity faster than any other energy resource

keep clicking for a large version of this graphic

First. The new governor should act immediately to prevent the ill-advised, eight-year $28.7 million-per-year raid on existing energy efficiency funding included in Governor Rell’s and the legislature’s recent deficit mitigation plan. If allowed to stand, this decision will divert $229.6 million of utility ratepayer funds targeted to efficiency assistance, requiring Connecticut consumers to pay $800 million more for energy, shrink the state’s economy by $1.3 billion and lose over 1,100 jobs.
Second. The new governor should commit to implement high value, common sense policies to put Connecticut back on track by maximizing investment in low-cost, clean energy efficiency.

• Provide the leadership needed to fully implement Connecticut’s critically important yet unmet requirement that all efficiency investments that are cost-effective and cheaper than buying electric generation be funded by the Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) in accordance with Connecticut’s current energy law, Public Act 07-242.
• Extend this commitment to natural gas and require that the gas utilities invest in all cost-effective efficiency if available at lower cost than additional supply.
• Work with state and federal policy makers to deliver a stable and meaningful funding source for efficiency programs for oil and propane customers.

Electric Consumer Benefits. The benefits of investing in efficiency for the state are enormous. For every $1 invested in electric energy efficiency measures, consumers save $3-4. As a result, money saved on electric bills can be spent on other goods and services in Connecticut, translating into economic and job growth. Specifically, every dollar spent on efficiency measures rather than on buying electricity, results in $5-6 supporting non-energy related jobs because money not spent on energy is available to grow other businesses. That growth adds more than $5 in Gross State Product (GSP) for $1 spent on efficiency. Doubling the roughly $100 million annual investment Connecticut currently makes in electric efficiency would save consumers an additional $350 million on their bills and contribute over $500 million to the GSP each year and support more than 4,000 additional jobs. For this reason, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont have each recently committed to significantly increase efficiency investments. Connecticut should be a leader – not a follower.

Natural Gas and Heating Oil Consumer Benefits. Instituting comparable efficiency programs for natural gas and oil heat consumers has even greater economic, job and environmental benefit because there has been relatively little investment in efficiency for these fuels. Existing natural gas programs can easily be ramped up and funded within the current regulatory structure. Since oil dealers are unregulated, a specific funding stream needs to be established so that consumers can get the enormous potential health and economic benefits of reducing their fuel oil consumption. Funding options include advocating for federal authorization to collect a fee or adoption of a small state fee to fund programs.

Innovative Consumer Financing Options. In order to maximize utilization of all of these programs, the governor should advance development of innovative funding and repayment mechanisms such as on-bill and possibly property assessed financing, consistent with provisions of 2010 SB494, to make it easier for homeowners to take advantage of energy savings that come from upgrading equipment and building components. The Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) programs provide the cash incentives or rebates that are needed to get consumers to actually make use of the programs. The CEEF programs are currently piloting residential finance programs, but a reliable source of low-interest capital is needed in order to assist customers in financing their portion of the upgrades and minimize the use of CEEF funds. Widely-available, low-interest financing would provide consumers with ways to help cover the up-front costs of larger efficiency upgrades.

In addition to the top priority commitments to maximizing investments in efficiency above, a new governor can take other, immediate steps directing our state agencies to take the following actions:

• Immediately direct the Department of Economic and Community Development to commit to the weatherization work in government-owned housing that is completely funded by federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars and which was abruptly canceled by the Rell administration. Failure to do so will likely mean returning the money to the Department of Energy. The Office of Policy and Management should be directed to work with the Department of Social Services to ensure that the remaining weatherization funds are fully and effectively expended to benefit state residents and require an ongoing public accounting of their expenditure;
• Ensure that the Department of Public Safety promptly adopts strong energy efficient building codes including the requirements of PA 09-192, provides specific advanced training pertaining to the efficiency portion of the code, and institutes measures to ensure current low levels of compliance; ;
• Promptly adopt the latest efficiency standards for appliances and equipment in accordance with the 2010 HB 5217 (later incorporated into the vetoed SB 493). To date, the Office of Public Management has failed to carry out the mandate previously adopted PA 07-242, which has necessitated additional legislation to ensure that Connecticut residents are purchasing the most efficient equipment and appliances;
• Lead by example by requiring the Department of Public Works to contract for efficiency upgrades and retrofits, including combined heat and power (CHP), for all state facilities, with priority given to those under the Department of Administrative Services’ oversight, and provide incentives to all other state facilities by enabling such agencies or sub-entities to retain a majority of savings for use toward specifically designated agency initiatives; and
• Invigorate the Governor’s Steering Committee on Climate Change by requiring regular meetings that include agency heads and adoption of a timetable for state agencies to develop specific legislation or regulations consistent with the Global Warming Solutions Act’s mandates, and require agencies to include an evaluation of the climate impact of their actions and major proposals.
Building Efficiency. Within the broader energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction strategies, a specific focus on increasing the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings in the State could yield significant benefits to all classes of Connecticut consumers. A new governor’s specific legislative initiatives in this area could include:
• Requiring the use of the National Home Energy Label currently under development on information provided at the time of sale of all properties;
• Requiring energy use disclosure at the time of lease or rental when such is paid by the tenant;
• Authorizing municipalities to incentivize or adopt higher building efficiency standards than the State code; many other states have municipal, county or state “stretch” code options;
• Amending the State Building Code to prepare Connecticut for new technologies by requiring that new construction include rough plumbing and wiring to facilitate the simple and economical installation of solar hot water and charging of electric vehicles; and,
• Expanding incentives and support for additional cost-effective combined heat and power in the state—particularly for small to mid-size applications.

The new governor will have a unique opportunity to set Connecticut on a course that can significantly benefit the State’s economic and environmental future. As the chart below illustrates, not only is maximizing efficiency far cheaper than purchasing energy, but also the potential for increasing the amount of efficiency versus generation is enormous.

For further analysis of the economic benefits of efficiency investments, please see ENE’s Energy Efficiency: Engine of Economic Growth report at http://env-ne.org/mod_program/resource/edit/id/964. The Connecticut summary of that New England wide report is attached as Appendix A.

Contact: Jessie Stratton, Director of Government Relations jstratton@env-ne.org, 21 Oak Street, Suite 202, Hartford, CT 06106 860-246-7121.  

Headquarters: 8 Summer St., PO Box 583, Rockport, ME 04856 (207) 236-6470
Boston, MA / Providence, RI / Hartford, CT / Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
admin@env-ne.org / http://www.env-ne.org / Daniel L. Sosland, Executive Director

Environment Northeast is a nonprofit organization that researches and advocates innovative policies that tackle our environmental challenges while promoting sustainable economic development. ENE is at the forefront of state and regional efforts to combat global warming with solutions that promote clean energy, clean air and healthy forests.

—Energy efficiency is the lowest cost, cleanest energy resource we can buy.

—Energy efficiency provides greater job creation than any other energy resource.

—Energy efficiency increases state economic productivity faster than any other energy resource.

via CT News Junkie | OP-ED: Energy Memo to the Next Governor of Connecticut.

via Westport, Weston in $4M fed-funded energy efficiency campaign – NewsTimes.

The grant was only one of 20 awarded nationwide in this highly competitive national solicitation for towns with populations under 35,000. The Governor said the partnership estimates the project will create and retain nearly 400 jobs, save nearly $150 million energy costs, while leveraging $4.70 for every federal dollar invested.

“Connecticut has a well-established blueprint for supporting and growing alternative energy industries and CCEF has been a strong partner in that development,” Governor Rell said. “These funds will further enhance the strides we have made and that have made Connecticut a leader in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency. It is an industry with unlimited potential, especially since the well-trained workforce it requires is already in place in Connecticut.”

In addition to CCEF, the partnership is composed of eight public, private, academic and nonprofit organizations and funds: AFC First Financial, Clean Water Fund, Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, Earth Markets, Efficiency 2.0, MIT Field Intelligence Lab/Empower Devices, SmartPower, and the Student Conservation Association.

The partnership will undertake a collaborative project to help residents save energy and boost clean energy usage through a comprehensive portfolio of actions modeled after CCEF’s award-winning Connecticut Clean Energy Communities Program.

The actions will be implemented by a consortium of 14 rural, suburban and low-income communities throughout Connecticut, including Bethany, Cheshire, East Haddam, East Hampton, Glastonbury, Lebanon, Mansfield, Portland, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, Wethersfield, Wilton and Windham. These towns are already Connecticut Clean Energy Communities and, under this project, will be strengthening their commitment to clean energy, energy efficiency and conservation.

The project aims to have at least 10 percent of households set specific, measurable goals of 20 percent energy savings and clean energy usage and provides support to help residents achieve these goals. The partnership estimates the project could reduce the production of nearly 250,000 metric tons of harmful carbon dioxide emissions.

Project initiatives shall include an innovative online platform involving energy advisors and leader boards for communities, an on-the-ground clean energy community corps, financing to assist homeowners with energy efficiency measures and clean energy installations, performance-based incentives to reward communities for meeting targets and a monitoring program to support both continuous program improvement and investment impact analysis.

“The collaborative efforts of all involved – including the initial partners, the participating communities and support from our Congressional delegation – helped contribute to a successful outcome for Connecticut,” said Lise Dondy, CCEF president. “We look forward to working with the entire project team to expand our community-based energy efficiency and clean energy efforts, help our residents benefit from significant energy cost savings, create green jobs and become a national model for increased adoption of clean energy.”

The energy grant was awarded by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through a competitive solicitation under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The DOE dedicated $60 million nationwide in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funding to help local governments, nonprofit groups and quasi-public agencies promote energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.

For more information on stimulus programs in Connecticut, visit the state’s official stimulus Web site at: www.ct.gov and click on the CT Recovery link. For more information on CCEF, go to: http://www.ctcleanenergy.com.

West Hartford, CT— As the damage escalates from the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, Environment Connecticut applauded Senators Dodd and Lieberman today for voting against legislation that would have blocked new rules requiring cars and light trucks to use less oil. 

A recent analysis found that the Senate measure rejected today would have increased Connecticut’s dependence on oil by more than 5 million gallons in 2016, according to a release from Environment Connecticut.  The binding resolution, which was rejected by the U.S. Senate today by a vote of 53-47 and which was introduced by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, also would have cost Connecticut drivers $15 million at the gas pump in 2016.  The environmental and economic impacts would have been even greater over time.

“The Gulf disaster provides a daily reminder that we must end our dependence on oil. The Senate did the right thing by defeating this bailout for Big Oil and other polluters,” said Environment Connecticut Program Director, Christopher Phelps. “Now it’s time for our Senators to turn their attention to passing a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill this year.”

The Senate rejected Senator Murkowski’s Congressional Review Act resolution (S.J.R. 26), which would have blocked key policies to reduce America’s dependence on oil and other fossil fuels, including the historic national clean car standards finalized earlier this year.

On April 1, 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation finalized a joint rule to decrease the oil consumption of Model Year 2012-2016 cars and light trucks sold in the United States.  But, if Senator Murkowski’s resolution had been enacted, EPA would have had to rescind its standard, forfeiting one-quarter of the joint rule’s oil savings – 455 billion barrels of oil nationally over the lifetimes of those vehicles – according to the EPA.  This amount of oil is equivalent to letting the BP spill continue at the same rate for 65 years.

Moreover, the resolution would have prohibited the EPA from setting pollution reduction standards for big trucks and buses, and passenger vehicles after 2016 – actions President Obama announced on May 21 in the Rose Garden and which could cut America’s oil use by billions of additional barrels.

A recent Environment Connecticut analysis examined the state-by-state impacts of blocking EPA’s Model Year 2012-2016 clean cars standard.  Since the analysis is limited to the impacts of blocking this one standard, the results underestimate the effect of the resolution on oil use and consumer costs.  In Connecticut, the resolution would have:

• Increased dependence on oil by more than 5 million gallons in 2016. 
• Cost Connecticut drivers $5 million at the gas pump in 2016, assuming gas costs the same as it does today.

Senator Murkowski is the # 3 recipient in Congress of money from Big Oil and the #2 recipient of money from electric utilities so far this election cycle.  Her resolution was backed by Big Oil and other polluters.  More notably, it was opposed by national security organizations and veterans, the UAW, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, former Republican EPA Administrator Russell Train, American Academy of Pediatrics, thousands of scientists, environmental organizations, and governors, attorneys general, and top environmental officials of numerous states. President Obama also said that he would veto the measure if it had somehow passed the Senate and House of Representatives and made it to his desk.

“This bill was a direct attack on the Clean Air Act’s 40-year record of success cutting pollution and protecting our health and the environment,” said Phelps. “Oil is spewing into the Gulf of Mexico and the threat of global warming continues to loom over our economy and environment. The Senate needs to take action now to cut pollution further, not undercut the protections we already have.”

“We urge Senators Dodd & Lieberman to help lead the charge to break our dependence on oil and transition to a clean energy economy by doing everything in their power to ensure that a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill passes the Senate this year.”

“You can’t cut conservation funds by $30 million and still expect to meet aggressive standards with respect to efficiency,” Malloy said criticizing the decision to borrow close to $1 billion and pay it back over eight years with conservation funds paid for by Connecticut ratepayers.

via CT News Junkie | Malloy Not Bashful About Energy Policy, Both Past and Future.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to become more energy efficient, here are a few links that will help address questions your community may have about renewable energy:

• Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund: www.ctenergyinfo.com
• Connecticut Wind Working Group: www.windct.org
• Connecticut Clean Energy Fund: www.ctcleanenergy.com
• Geothermal Exchange Organization: www.geoexchange.org
• American Solar Energy Society: www.ases.org
• American Wind Energy Association: www.awea.org
• Mystic Solar: www.mysticsolar.com

via Planning for Green Energy.

He said Governor M. Jodi Rell “gave Big Power a gargantuan gift.”

“The governor chose generators over consumers and business, killing legislation that would provide desperately needed rate relief,” Blumehthal said. “Businesses and consumers demanded action. The governor delivered inaction, killing crucial legislation while providing no plan or proposal.”  

The Day has new anaysis of the situation:

“Advocates for the environment and consumers are strongly denouncing Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s veto of a legislative energy bill, saying the Republican governor has passed up a historic chance to reform the state’s marketplace and help consumers struggling with high rates. The governor, by contrast, contends rates would only have risen under the energy bill.”

via Rell defends energy veto as critics lament missed chance | The Day.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed a massive energy bill that would have overhauled Connecticut’s energy policy, saying the legislation would have led to higher rates for electric customers. Rell vetoed the 129-page bill on Tuesday, as expected.

Visit MyLeftNutmeg for releases from Bysiewicz, Lamont, CFE, and Malloy.

Environment Connecticut and Connecticut Fund for the Environment have responded separately calling it a wrong-headed vision and her “stated interest in creating Connecticut jobs in the new clean energy economy … nothing more than empty rhetoric.”

“Connecticut has the most expensive energy costs in the continental U.S.,” Phelps told CT Environmental Headlines, “and this would have helped bring down energy costs and reformed way we get energy and, most importantly, it would have helped families and small businesses cut energy bills.”

“The energy crisis in Connecticut really does constitute a special session on energy,” Phelps said.

“Governor Rell’s wrong-headed decision to veto the energy bill passed by the legislature earlier this month will ensure Connecticut has a dirtier, less efficient and more expensive energy future,” said Christopher Phelps of Environment Connecticut. “Her veto means less clean energy and more global warming pollution. It will result in job losses at solar and other clean energy businesses that leave Connecticut for other states. And it hamstrings efforts to cut energy bills for Connecticut’s families and businesses.”

“We are disappointed that Governor Rell has chosen to stand with utilities and big energy companies at the expense of Connecticut’s environment, families and clean energy entrepreneurs,” Phelps said. “We urge the legislature not to wait for 2011 to get Connecticut back on track towards a cleaner energy future. The legislature should override of the veto or convene a special session to address our state’s urgent need to create a clean, efficient and affordable energy future.”

Connecticut Fund for the Environment said it was disappointed as well.

Progress on Rate Relief, Jobs, Environment Thwarted

Connecticut Fund for the Environment issued the following statement upon learning that Governor Rell has vetoed Senate Bill 493, the energy bill.

“This a real failure of leadership and underscores the fact that the Governor’s stated interest in creating Connecticut jobs in the new clean energy economy is nothing more than empty rhetoric,” said Charles Rothenberger, staff attorney for CFE.  “Governor Rell turned down an opportunity to make substantial progress on an issue that has plagued Connecticut consumers, business owners, and the economy for a decade. If legislation that reduces consumer costs, creates long-term jobs, and protects the environment isn’t good legislation, what is?”

The bill had strong support from the AARP, the business community, and environmental and consumer advocates. It would have added 300 megawatts of solar power to Connecticut’s grid over the next decade, and provided 1,200 direct and 3,000-4,000 indirect jobs in the solar industry.  It also established current Energy Star guidelines as minimum performance standards for televisions sold in the state and allows municipalities to bond for PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing, so property owners can take out low-interest loans to make energy efficiency improvements to their properties.

“This legislation would have put us on the path to a cleaner, smarter, and more stable energy economy, one that protected the state’s interest in investing in its solar and renewable energy industry, and protected the national interest in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and their polluting byproducts,” Rothenberger  said. “Governor Rell’s action today maintains the status quo and ensures that Connecticut’s residents and businesses will continue to pay the highest energy rates in the continental United States.”

Read the press release at:

http://www.ct.gov/governorrell/cwp/view.asp?A=3872&Q=460684

Read the veto message here:
http://www.ct.gov/governorrell/lib/governorrell/vetomessage.pdf

From the New Haven Register: http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/05/26/news/doc4bfc970de3f89231527945.txt

CT News Junkie article:
http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/rell_vetoes_energy_bill/

From the CT Mirror: http://www.ctmirror.org/story/6176/rell-vetoes-energy-bill-citing-content-and-process

from ConnPoliticsTV: http://connpolitics.tv/index.php/2010/05/25/rell-vetoes-energy-bill

State Rep. John Frey has praised the action while environmental groups have criticized.

via Governor vetoes energy bill, citing costs, ‘transparency’.

Officials at Naval Air Station Fort Worth are increasingly embracing greener initiatives to reduce electricity, gas, water and fuel consumption and use alternative energy sources.

The military and its leaders are interested for reasons beyond helping the Earth: Every dollar spent on the light bill is a dollar not spent on ammunition or training, not to mention the recognition that Middle East oil carries with it a significant foreign policy and military impact.

via Naval Air Station Fort Worth deploying ‘green’ initiatives | Star-Telegram

The Union of Concerned Scientists recently published a report called “Burning Coal, Burning Cash,” and concluded that, “states can reap economic and environmental benefits by reducing their use of imported coal and investing in energy efficiency and local, renewable energy sources.”

via Coal under fire in Connecticut – Connecticut Post.

Email: governor.rell@ct.gov; Tel: 860-566-4840; Toll-Free: 800-406-1527; TDD: 860-524-7397.

via Connecticut League of Conservation Voters: Want Cleaner, Cheaper Energy? Tell Governor Rell to Sign the Energy Bill!.

Daniel L. Sosland is executive director of Environment Northeast. Jeffrey R. Gaudiosi is vice president of the Manufacturing Alliance of Connecticut. ENE and MAC are members of the Energy Conservation Management Board.

via Damage From Energy Fund Cut Multiplies – Courant.com.

The governor and General Assembly have undermined the state’s best program to lower energy costs, build jobs and clean up our air. Instead, we now have a new, if hidden, tax added to the burden of electric utility ratepayers on their bills.

via Damage From Energy Fund Cut Multiplies – Courant.com.

This update includes a statement from Clean Water Action.

Attorney General Praises Passage Of Sweeping Electricity Reform Bill Intended To Lower Prices, Encourage Conservation And Alternative Energy

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal praised passage of sweeping legislation seeking to lower electricity prices, encourage conservation and jumpstart clean, alternative energy.

Blumenthal has fought since 2006 to reform Connecticut’s broken electricity system, which has burdened the state with the highest prices in the continental United States.

“I am pleased that the General Assembly heeded my call for comprehensive reform seeking to lower Connecticut’s outrageous electricity prices — highest in the continental United States — and encourage alternative energy and conservation,” Blumenthal said. “I urge the governor to sign this bill, which aims to repair damage caused by irrational federal rules that artificially inflate the state’s power prices.

“This bill will enable the state’s major utilities to buy power when it’s cheap instead of shackling them to arbitrary six month auctions. This new system — similar to those producing prices 11 to 40 percent lower at municipal utilities — significantly strengthens the utilities’ negotiating position, allowing better deals for consumers and businesses.

“This measure rightly concentrates state energy policy, conservation and planning efforts in one place, enabling comprehensive solutions. It provides powerful incentives for individuals and businesses to cut energy use and install alternative energy — reducing dangerous greenhouse gas and other pollution and decreasing demand, thus lowering prices.

“I will continue fighting for reform at the federal level where nonsensical, anti-competitive rules deny Connecticut consumers and businesses the benefit of the state’s abundant cheap electricity. The current system, in which all generators are paid the same as the most expensive producer, turns market rules on their head, enriching generators at the expense of businesses and consumers. We must continue pressuring federal officials to ditch rules that strangle Connecticut’s competitiveness.”

The bill seeks to:

• Lower prices by freeing Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) and United Illuminating (UI) to buy electricity at any time instead of once every six months, allowing them to seize deals when they appear. The new system will take effect on large scale in 2012;
• Unify state energy planning, research and policy — including conservation and alternative energy incentives — into the newly created Division of Research, Energy and Technology;
• Slash pollution and power use through loan and subsidy programs encouraging installation of conservation and alternative energy;
• Empower municipalities to issue bonds for conservation upgrades and alternative energy systems in private homes and businesses;
• Empower the Division of Research, Energy and Technology to write a comprehensive plan for the state’s energy future;
• Require all commissioners of the newly created Connecticut Energy and Technology Authority, which will consist of the present Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) and the new Division of Energy, Research and Technology, to have advocated for utility consumers.

Environment Connecticut released the following:

Legislature Passes Clean Energy Bill

Statement of Environment Connecticut Program Director Christopher Phelps applauding passage of the Fonfara-Nardello Energy Bill

Hartford, CT – “Environment Connecticut applauds the legislature for passing the Energy Bill. This bill takes a huge step towards a cleaner, more efficient and more affordable energy future for Connecticut. We urge Governor Rell to quickly sign this bill into law.”

“This Energy Bill takes a number of important steps towards a clean energy future for Connecticut. It creates a new comprehensive solar power incentive program to build over 300 megawatts of new residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar power systems over the course of the next decade. That’s enough solar to power the equivalent of as many as 100,000 homes.”

“The innovative clean energy and energy efficiency financing measures in the bill will also help families and businesses reduce energy bills and put money back in their pockets. It creates a loan fund for high-efficiency furnace replacements, and authorizes municipalities to start loan programs for homeowners and businesses to install energy improvements such as solar systems and energy efficiency retrofits.”

“The bill also expands Connecticut’s appliance efficiency standards, enhances incentives for construction of wind, low-impact hydropower, fuel cells and other renewable energy systems. Finally, it begins the process of streamlining and increasing the efficiency of the state’s various energy planning and policy entities to make them become more efficient and effective in meeting the state’s future energy needs.”

“The ongoing catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has caused our nation to confront first-hand the economic and environmental consequences of our dependence on oil and fossil fuels. This clean energy bill is a step towards breaking Connecticut’s dependence on polluting, increasingly expensive fuels and repowering our state with clean, renewable energy.”

Clean Water Action Statement on Passage of Clean Energy Bill, SB 493  

Hartford, CT– “Today marks the passage of the first significant energy bill since 2007′s sweeping energy law.  This bill adopts ideas that have been considered for years to consolidate agencies working on energy planning, build a self-sustaining in-state solar industry and extend financing assistance to families and businesses so they can take part in our clean energy future. 

Together these policies add up to a leaner, cleaner, more affordable energy future and we urge Governor Rell to sign the bill into law,” urged Clean Water Action campaign director Roger Smith.    

Senate Bill 493 includes a number of provisions, consolidated from various energy committee bills this session. 

The solar power provisions in this bill reflect the work of diverse stakeholders, including the DPUC, electric utilities and solar industry representatives from a legislatively mandated 2008 solar stakeholder workgroup. 

The workgroup issued a strategy for how Connecticut could dramatically cut the installation costs of solar through economies of scale.  This bill provides steadily decreasing incentives that will help build enough solar to power the equivalent of 100,000 homes, at an average cost to ratepayers of no more than $.70 per month over the next few years.

“It’s not enough to create clean energy programs- we also need to make sure they are affordable,” continued Smith. 

“This bill addresses the initial cost of energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades by providing a loan fund to install high-efficiency furnaces, and gives municipalities the power to create ‘Property Assessed Clean Energy’ loan programs to help homeowners and businesses make energy improvements where their energy savings are greater than their payments.”    

Improved energy planning and coordination will help to resolve concerns both the governor and legislature have raised over the years.  This includes Governor Rell’s 2007 energy vision and call for an energy department, to legislatively-mandated energy reorganization studies conducted by CASE, CEAB and the legislature’s Program Review and Investigations Committee. 

This bill creates a new Connecticut Energy and Technology Authority to oversee and better coordinate the work of the Department of Public Utility Control, Siting Council, Connecticut Energy Advisory Board, Clean Energy Fund, and Energy Efficiency Fund, and brings Connecticut in line with states like Massachusetts and New York which have consolidated energy administrations.

Paula Panzarella, of Fight the Hike, said the following:

“Fight the Hike thanks the Connecticut Legislature for passing this comprehensive bill. Fight the Hike, AARP, and various environmental organizations have worked diligently with the Energy and Technology Committee for four years to develop an energy policy strategy for Connecticut.  This bill is an important first step in this process.  Connecticut residents and businesses have been battered by economic crisis and deregulation. This legislation has the potential to bring significant rate reduction and streamline the system. Especially important, it drives the state in the crucial direction of promoting clean renewable energy and the funding of concrete projects. The CT Energy Efficiency Fund is a critical part of this landmark energy strategy, and should not be tampered with. It is crucial now that Gov. Rell listen to the voices of the people and the legislature and sign this bill into law.” Fight the Hike is a grassroots consumer and business coalition that for four years has been fighting for lower electric rates in Connecticut and the promotion and development of clean renewable energy in the state.

The CT Senate Democratic Caucus released the following statement:

Landmark energy reform to lower electric rates, promote CT renewables

Senator John W. Fonfara (D-Hartford), co-chair of the General Assembly’s Energy and Technology Committee, recently championed passage by a 20 to 14 vote in the state Senate of landmark energy reform legislation that will implement a process to lower Connecticut electric rates by 15 percent, promote Connecticut based renewable energy generation, consolidate various state energy entities, and provide assistance for Connecticut residents to make efficiency and renewable energy improvements to their own homes, amongst other provisions.

“With this bill, Connecticut will take meaningful steps for the first time to lower electric rates and shed our status as the state with the second highest electricity costs in the country,” said Senator Fonfara. “This legislation also establishes a program to assist the neediest in our state with their electric bills. It will reduce electric costs for low income seniors and families without increasing costs for all other ratepayers.”

“It was a pleasure to work with my Senate co-chair on energy legislation that will reduce electric rates, invest in renewable energy, and make the purchase of renewables more affordable. This bill will also create jobs and make our state energy agencies more effective and efficient in today’s world,” said Rep. Vickie O. Nardello (D-Cheshire), co-chair of the Energy and Technology Committee.

The recent legislation takes a number of steps to lower the cost of energy and increase protections for consumers, provide assistance to Connecticut businesses, and improve the environment.

Helping Consumers

• Implements a process to lower electric rates 15% by July 1, 2012
• Savings to be achieved through adjustment to current electricity buying practices and the addition of new electric generation capacity
• The decrease must be maintained for at least 5 years
• Provides grants/loans to make efficient energy technology affordable and help homeowners lower their bills by consuming less energy
• Loans may be repaid on customer’s current electric or gas bills
• Assistance is available for solar power systems, natural gas and oil furnaces, boilers, Combined Heat and Power (CHP) projects, and other technologies
• Allows municipalities to create additional energy improvement loan programs for consumers

“Efficient energy technology exists today that, if widely adopted and brought into our homes, will greatly reduce our state’s consumption of energy. This bill will provide loans to make that technology affordable for homeowners, allowing them to upgrade to efficient boilers and reduce their home heating costs,” said Senator Fonfara. “Homeowners can pay for these improvements right on their existing energy bills. The boiler replacement program is designed to lower homeowner’s monthly bills right from the start.”

The legislation also introduces new protections for consumers in the electric supplier market:

• Suppliers must provide customers a written contract specifying electric rates and the right to cancel the contract within 3 days
• All electric supplier sales personnel must pass a background check, identify themselves, and wear a photo ID; Go door to door only between 10 AM and 6 PM; Explain all rates, fees, variable charges, terms and conditions; Not engage in deceptive acts or practices

“I am a strong supporter of the competitive supplier market in electricity. Consumers who have yet to switch to an alternative electric supplier can save up to 10 percent by doing so today. This legislation introduces a few commonsense consumer protections to ensure that customers choosing an electric supplier know who they are talking to, and what the terms of their agreement are,” said Senator Fonfara.

Benefits for Business

The recent bill contains several provisions to benefit businesses and facilitate the growth of green industry. In addition to lowering electric rates by 15% for consumers and businesses, the bill:

• Creates and enhances incentive programs for renewable energy investments
• Encourages consumer demand for green energy products and services
• Provides incentives for energy efficiency improvements and for the purchase of solar energy systems made by Connecticut companies
• Provides job training and other assistance to minority-owned energy businesses
• Creates renewable energy incentives for green energy investments in state recognized enterprise zones

Preserving the Environment

The legislation also increases the state’s commitment to generating renewable energy right here in Connecticut, and enacts several other measures to promote energy efficiency and benefit the environment.

These include:

• Charging DPUC to facilitate generation of 30 megawatts (MW) of residential solar energy by 2021
• Requires electric companies to contract with owners of photovoltaic (PV) systems for up to 2 MW in statewide capacity
• Requires electric companies to contract with power generators to provide:
• 25 MW of electric capacity through wind projects
• 15 MW from hydro-electric projects
• 5 to 10 MW from other renewable sources
• Adopts California’s stringent appliance efficiency standards for TVs and other consumer electronic products by 2013
• Consolidates the energy bureaucracy, reorganizing DPUC into the Connecticut Energy and Technology Authority (CETA)
• Commissions a study to examine placement of solar panels on large state buildings

Connnecticut Fund for the Environment released the following:
Connecticut Fund for the Environment Urges Governor Rell to Sign Energy Bill; Lawmakers Reject Rhetoric, Stand Up for Ratepayers, Environment and Economy

Hartford–Seven hours after the Senate passed the energy bill in a 20-14 vote, the House voted 81-40 in favor of the measure.

Charles Rothenberger, staff attorney for Connecticut Fund for the Environment, said, “We strongly support the Nardello-Fonfara bill and we urge Governor Rell to sign it into law. This is an opportunity to improve the state’s environment and economy, and to reduce ratepayer energy bills. Our energy infrastructure is broken. By passing this bill, lawmakers sent the message that they are committed to fixing it.”

The legislation will spur advancement and technology in the state’s green energy and energy efficiency industry, reduce air pollution and help the state meet greenhouse gas reduction goals set forth in the 2008 law that mandates a reduction of 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

In adopting current Energy Star guidelines for televisions as a new minimum manufacturing standard, the Nardello-Fonfara legislation significantly reduces consumer energy demand as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Experts anticipate that by 2020, these appliance efficiency standards will reduce climate change emissions by 105,000 metric tons—or the equivalent of removing 20,000 cars from the roads—and boost energy savings enough to power 20,000 homes.

A second provision of the energy bill, PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing, allows property owners to take out low-interest loans to make energy efficiency improvements to their properties. If the property is sold, the loan remains with the property, not with the borrower, and the terms of the loan are offset by the energy savings enjoyed by the borrower.

The bill now goes to Governor Rell for action.

Hartford, CT – “In the face of aggressive pressure from dozens of energy industry lobbyists, lawmakers at the state capitol pulled the plug on a planned Monday vote on the Fonfara-Nardello Energy Bill. The bill would mark a huge step towards a cleaner, more efficient and more affordable energy future for every family and every business in every community across Connecticut.”

“Environment Connecticut calls on lawmakers to stand up to the utility and power company lobbyists and reject their scare tactics. The Energy Bill will create and retain needed jobs at renewable energy and energy efficiency businesses here in Connecticut. It will expand use of solar, wind, fuel cell and other clean and renewable energy sources that cut pollution and help break our dependence on oil. It will also provide help for families and businesses to be able to afford to go beyond simply replacing light bulbs and invest in big-ticket energy efficiency and clean energy technologies that can slash energy costs and put money back in their pockets.”

“The Fonfara-Nardello energy bill is too important to Connecticut’s economic, energy, and environmental future to allow lobbyists for big utilities, energy companies and power plant owners to block action on the bill. Now of all times, when our nation is seeing first-hand in Gulf of Mexico the catastrophic results for our economy and our environment from dependence on oil, we need our lawmakers to stand up to the arm twisting of lobbyists for big energy companies.”

“Connecticut’s families need our lawmakers to step up and fight for a cleaner, more efficient and more affordable energy future for our state. We need them to pass the Fonfara-Nardello Energy Bill today.”

Hartford, CT – News reports this morning indicate that a tentative budget deal has been reached between legislators and Governor Rell. The reports also suggest that the deal balances the state budget in part by “raiding” the electric ratepayer-supported clean energy and energy efficiency funds.

If true, this would be an outrageous move by legislators and Governor Rell. It could eviscerate Connecticut’s existing programs supporting solar, wind and other renewable energy sources. And it could deliver a body-blow to energy efficiency and weatherization programs that help families and small businesses cut energy bills and put money back in their pockets.

If these programs are cut, jobs will be lost at solar installation companies and weatherization businesses, and emerging clean energy industries such as fuel cell manufacturers will be sent the message that Connecticut’s leaders aren’t committed to renewable energy or green jobs.

A week ago, Environment Connecticut criticized Governor Rell’s proposal to raid the Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Funds as one that was not even “penny-wise,” it was just “pound foolish.” If the legislature agrees to the Governor’s proposal to raid the funds, they will join her in turning their backs on Connecticut’s electric ratepayers and clean energy businesses.

Environment Connecticut urges lawmakers and Governor Rell to keep their hands off the electric ratepayer-supported Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Funds. Don’t balance the budget by stealing the funds and turning them into nothing more than an electric tax that will hurt families, hit small businesses, and make it harder for Connecticut to move towards a cleaner, more efficient and more affordable energy future.

News release from Environment Connecticut and the Connecticut Fund for the Environment:

Hartford, CT – A coalition of consumer, environmental and business advocates today called on legislators to pass the Nardello-Fonfara Energy bill currently pending before the General Assembly. The bill, written by the co-chairs of the legislature’s energy committee, is intended to provide electric rate-relief to residents, extra relief for low-income ratepayers, and create incentives for growth of clean energy and energy efficiency businesses.

Consumer and ratepayer relief provisions in the bill include measures reforming the procurement of electricity that sets a goal of reducing rates by 15%. Streamlining the procurement process will lower rates for all consumers including those who buy electricity from a competitive retail supplier. For low-income households, the bill establishes a discount electric rate funded largely through existing low-income programs. The legislation also protects consumers, who buy electricity from a retail electric supplier, from unscrupulous, aggressive marketing practices.

AARP Connecticut State Director Brenda Kelley said, “Connecticut continues to face the highest electric rates in the continental United States, and the gap between Connecticut and other states continues to grow. Residents, especially seniors who live on fixed-incomes, are struggling to pay their electric bills and need rate-relief now. We’ve heard the complicated explanations from the utility companies and retail suppliers for why our bills are so high, but now is not the time to explain away the problem—it’s time to fix it!”

In addition to directly tackling high electric rates, the legislation also includes provisions expanding use of solar power, fuel cells and other clean and renewable energy systems, as well as extending clean energy financing help to consumers.
The solar provisions of the bill are modeled on legislation that passed the state House of Representatives in 2009 and would result in enough solar power statewide to power the equivalent of 100,000 homes. This program replaces a now-defunct Clean Energy Fund’s commercial rebate program for solar power which has helped many schools, municipal buildings and businesses install solar panels.

“This bill is a huge step towards a cleaner, more efficient and more affordable energy future for Connecticut,” said Environment Connecticut Program Director Christopher Phelps. “It will help Connecticut’s families and businesses break our state’s dependence on polluting energy sources like oil, put money back in their pockets by reducing their energy use, and cut global warming pollution by increasing use of solar and other renewable energy sources.”

In order to address the high demands televisions make upon household power, the bill would establish current Energy Star guidelines for televisions as the minimum standard. Experts anticipate that by 2020, adopting these standards will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 105,000 metric tons—or the equivalent of removing 20,000 cars from the roads—and boost energy savings enough to power 20,000 homes. This bill preserves consumer choice while ensuring that every television sold in the state will be an efficient one—and that Connecticut will not become a dumping ground for the worst-performing products.

PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy financing), allows property owners to take out low-interest loans to make energy efficiency improvements to their properties. If the property is sold, the loan remains with the property, not with the borrower, and the terms of the loan are offset by the energy savings enjoyed by the borrower.

Clean Water Action campaign director Roger Smith added, “Solar power generates clean electricity at the peak times when we need power the most. This forward-thinking bill will bring solar to a scale where it will be able to beat fossil fuels on price over the next decade.

The bill’s incentives for renewable energy, as well as financing programs to help consumers afford fuel-saving furnaces, energy efficiency retrofits and renewable generation systems are designed to help consumers cut energy costs while stimulating job-growth in local clean energy businesses.

The bill also creates grant and loan programs to help families and businesses install efficient furnaces and efficient combined heat and power systems. The bill encourages communities to establish local loan programs for efficiency and clean energy investments by homeowners and businesses based on the innovative Property Assessed Clean Energy programs being supported by the Obama administration.

“The clean energy industry is just about the only sure bet for near-term job growth,” said Solar Connecticut Executive Director Michael Trahan. “Our growing job base is beginning to dwindle as solar workers are leaving for New Jersey and Massachusetts where state programs are built around long-term solar strategy. Senate bill 463 is a long-term strategy that needs to passed and signed into law.”

“This bill is a great example of how economic growth and environmental protection complement each other,” said Charles Rothenberger, staff attorney with of the Connecticut Fund for the Environment. “This bill drives advancements in technology at the same time it reduces air pollution by hundreds of tons. It sets the stage for statewide green job growth and reducesd our dependence on greenhouse gas-emitting fuels. Most importantly, it moves us towards a smart, clean energy future.”

List of supporting partners: AARP, CCAG, Environment Connecticut, ConnPIRG, Solar Connecticut, Clean Water Action

And Christopher Phelps, the program director for Environment Connecticut, said that raiding the funds to borrow enough to balance the budget would lead to layoffs as clean energy firms shift business to other states.

“It’s not even penny-wise,” Phelps said. “It’s just pound-foolish.”

In another story from USAToday, Obama said that energy programs can help rescue rural America. Alternative energy programs can not only provide jobs, they can reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil as well as reduce heat-trapping carbon emissions, USAToday reports.

For more from CFE and Environment Connecticut see below:

Governor Rell Proposes Raiding Ratepayer Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Funds. Environment Connecticut urges lawmakers to reject proposed tax on electric bills that delivers a body blow to Connecticut’s clean energy economy.

Statement of Environment Connecticut Program Director, Christopher Phelps:

“Governor Rell today proposed raiding Connecticut’s ratepayer-supported Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Funds to close the state’s budget deficit. Connecticut’s families have heard this idea from Governor Rell many times before. It was a bad idea for our economy and environment when she first proposed it in 2009, and it remains a bad idea today.

“The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund and Energy Efficiency Fund are funded directly by small surcharges on electric ratepayer bills. The programs of these funds directly benefit every family and business in the state and do so with no cost to taxpayers. Governor Rell’s proposal would gut these funds and the job-creating programs they support and turn the ratepayer surcharge into little more than a stealth tax on electric bills for every family and business in the state.

“With her proposal, Governor Rell has turned her back on clean energy businesses such as solar installers and fuel cell entrepreneurs. It would slash weatherization and energy efficiency programs that help families and small businesses on Main Streets across the state cut their energy bills and put money back in their pockets. The result will hurt out economy and hamstring programs that are helping Connecticut cut its dependence on polluting energy sources that contribute to air and global warming pollution.

“As the cliché goes, this is a penny-wise, pound foolish proposal. In fact, Governor Rell has dispensed with half of the cliché and chosen instead to simply be pound foolish.

“Connecticut’s lawmakers should reject the Governor’s outrageous proposal. Instead, they should focus on enacting energy legislation currently pending before the legislature that would, at no cost to the state, expand upon these successful clean energy programs. The energy bill (SB 463) would help homeowners, businesses and towns build enough solar systems to power the equivalent of over 100,000 homes. It would also create innovative financial incentive programs to help families and businesses pay for large-scale energy efficiency retrofits and renewable energy programs using the energy cost savings achieved to pay for the cost of the investment.”

Connecticut Fund for the Environment strongly opposes the proposal that would sweep energy funds. ‘The governor’s plan would empty ratepayer funds into state coffers.’

For the third time in two years, Governor Rell has proposed raiding the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund and the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund in order to fill Connecticut’s budget deficit. Connecticut Fund for the Environment, a New Haven-based environmental group, was disappointed by the news, which was announced this afternoon.

Charles Rothenberger, staff attorney for Connecticut Fund for the Environment, said it’s the wrong direction for the state.

“For months, the legislature and the clean energy business community have been working to improve Connecticut’s economic future,” he was quoted as saying in a CFE news release. “Supporting clean energy jobs, reducing energy costs, and freeing up money that can be spent in other areas of the economy are part of these efforts. The Administration is eviscerating these efforts by reversing course.”

In Connecticut, there are more than 11,800 direct or indirect jobs supported by the energy funds, including such jobs as solar installation, fuel cell manufacturing, and energy auditing. The funds support programs that help consumers make energy-saving improvements to their homes and businesses.

Earlier this year, the Governor put forth a proposal to securitize 37 percent of the customer ratepayer funds and in 2009, a similar plan to securitize the funds called for stripping $50 million from the funds each year for two years and moving $52 million from the funds to the general fund each year for the next decade to securitize a $350 million payment to the general fund. Met with strong opposition from business leaders, state policymakers, and environmental advocates, that plan was scrapped and the resulting investment in the clean energy and energy efficiency funds allowed the state to leverage state spending and take advantage of a $38.5 million federal stimulus investment.

“The Governor says the right things, but this continued threat of raiding the energy funds undermines the credibility of her commitment to developing a thriving clean energy business sector,” Rothenberger said. “Businesses cannot plan for the long term, hire skilled labor, or invest in the community when these funds are constantly in jeopardy.”

via The Day – Rell budget plan borrows $953M | News from southeastern Connecticut.

via StamfordPlus.com News – Connecticut Fund for the Environment strongly opposes proposal that sweeps energy funds.

The “sustainability Challenge” calls on local mayors and first selectman to challenge the business leaders in their communities to improve the efficiency of corporate buildings, said Keith Crosby, vice president of construction and property management for ADP Services Corporation and author of the initiative.

via Corporate energy challenge to launch – The Hour – Norwalk’s Newspaper.

“Taking advantage of Ireland’s agility, as well as Europe’s commitment to ‘clean’ technology, we intend to demonstrate emerging technologies on a scale ranging from individual buildings to district-wide applications,” said Dr. David Parekh, UTC Vice President, Research, and Director, United Technologies Research Center (UTRC).

via United Technologies Establishes Research Office in Ireland — PRNewswire-FirstCall.

Once in place, the panels are expected to reduce electricity consumption in the building by about half.

via Sprague gets grant for energy efficiency – Norwich, CT – Norwich Bulletin.

The average TV today uses less than two light bulbs’ worth of energy (is this true? And, what’s the average TV? Is the average TV one of these $2,998, 52-inch jobs you pick up at Costco?). Market-oriented programs like Energy Star have successfully reduced energy consumption of TVs and other electronics — 26.9 billion kilowatt hours of electricity were saved in 2008 alone.

via A Bad Idea To Regulate TV Energy Efficiency – Courant.com.

Kiosks featuring interactive dioramas and videos, will teach visitors about fossil fuels, wind power, hydro power, solar power, renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy conservation.

via New energy exhibit added at Discovery Museum | Bridgeport News.

State Rep. Jim Himes joined Environment Connecticut, the Connecticut Green Buildings Council and the Northeast Energy Efficiency Council to release a new report showing the benefits of investing in energy efficiency.

The report shows that if the government invests in the energy efficiency of our buildings today, Connecticut families could save over $1,700 every year on their energy bills by 2030. Saving energy in our buildings would also help Connecticut’s fight against global warming by reducing projected greenhouse gas emissions from buildings by 34 percent.

“Let’s not waste any more time, any more energy or any more money on outdated buildings,” said Environment Connecticut Field Associate, Nancy Pyne. “We need to invest in efficiency today so we can start building a better tomorrow.”

“America’s number-one renewable energy resource is entirely clean, remarkably cost-effective, surprisingly abundant and immediately available: energy efficiency,” said Congressman Himes. “My years in the affordable housing industry proved to me that green building retrofits can create jobs, lower costs for families, and improve our infrastructure all at the same time—if we as a country show the leadership to make it happen.”

America’s buildings consume more than 40 percent of our total energy, which amounts to almost 10 percent of all the energy used in the world. Much of this energy is wasted due to inadequate insulation, inefficient heating and cooling systems and poor construction techniques.

The National Academy of Sciences estimates that widespread use of today’s technology would increase energy efficiency by up to 30 percent in existing buildings by 2030. With the rapid march of technological innovation and increased investment in efficiency from governments and consumers, even greater gains are possible.

Environment Connecticut’s report, Building Better: How High-Efficiency Buildings Will Save Money and Reduce Global Warming, analyzes the benefits Connecticut would see if the state committed to dramatically improving the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings. The report uses government data to estimate reduced energy consumption, decreased fossil fuel use, money saved on energy bills, and global warming pollution prevented in 2030 and 2050.

Making our buildings more efficient would reduce the projected energy use of Connecticut‘s buildings 34 percent by 2030. That would conserve enough energy every year to power nearly 3 million homes.

These enormous energy savings translate directly into financial savings in the form of reduced energy bills. The average Connecticut family of four can expect to save over $1,700 a year by 2030, which is 32 percent lower than what they would be paying without the improvements in building efficiency.

Reduced energy consumption in Connecticut would also prevent the emission of 7.7 million tons of global warming pollution every year by 2030, which is equivalent to taking nearly 1.4 million cars off the road.

It’s been said before, but the bottom line is that the cleanest and cheapest source of energy is the energy we never use,” said Mike DeNamur of the Northeast Energy Efficiency Council and Trane Commercial Systems. “In Connecticut, we can generate a lot of these “nega-watts” by re-commissioning, upgrading, and improving our existing facilities and by making smart choices in the way we build new. It’s a win-win-win for business, industry and the environment.”

“Making a commitment to energy efficient buildings exemplifies leadership both environmentally and fiscally.  Owners who differentiate themselves buy pursuing energy efficiency are recognized as leaders and create a competitive atmosphere that benefits everyone,” added Tom Nichols of the Connecticut Green Buildings Council and 4 Elements Group. “The progress we make locally multiplies far beyond the individual home/building- we have an opportunity to grasp that leadership role and influence dramatic change beyond our state.”

Programs to promote more efficient buildings are popping up all over the country. More than a dozen states, including Connecticut, have updated their building codes since the start of 2009, and more than 20 others are currently in the process of doing so. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided $16 billion for efficiency-boosting retrofit and weatherization programs, and Congress is now considering major initiatives like HOME STAR and Building STAR that would provide financial incentives for efficiency improvements in residential and commercial buildings.

Environment Connecticut is calling for policies that will help us reach our efficiency goals, including:

• Steady improvements to building codes over time so that all new buildings are increasingly efficient, culminating in a zero net energy standard by 2030. This means that in 20 years, every new building that is constructed will be so efficient that it can produce all the power it needs right onsite from renewable sources like solar panels or wind turbines.
• Investing in energy retrofits and weatherization to improve the efficiency of existing buildings 30 percent by 2030.
• Supporting innovative financing mechanisms that will unleash public and private investment in building efficiency.

“There are already thousands of super-efficient buildings around the country- including the facilities here at Merritt 7 Corporate Park.” concluded Pyne. “Buildings last for decades, so investing in energy efficiency locks in savings for years to come and builds a strong foundation for the future of our environment and our economy.”

via Demand — and costs — for environmentally friendly college campuses is up – Mass High Tech Business News.

via FuelCell Energy Announces Passage of Renewable Portfolio Standard by South Korean National Assembly | CNNMoney.

Ecovative Design’s CEO, Eben Bayer, will speak at the Yale University School of Forestry & Environmental Studies on Wednesday, March 24, at 4.30 p.m. in the Burke Auditorium, 195 Prospect St. His talk, entitled “Growing Materials: Using Mushrooms to Transform Waste” is sponsored by the Industrial Environmental Management (IEM) Program.
The talk is part of the 2009/2010 IEM Speaker Series sponsored by the Yale IEM Program. In its 20th year, the IEM Lecture Series brings speakers from companies and organizations to the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies to discuss the relationship between business and the environment. This year’s lecture series explores innovative recycling and reuse of waste.

Eben Bayer, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) graduate, founded Ecovative Design in 2007. His fascination with fungal mycelium as it strongly bonded wood chips together inspired them to think of new ways of using mycelium as a resin. After classroom experiments, Greensulate was born. In addition to  decreasing the environmental impact of conventional polystyrene foams, this invention also created a whole new paradigm where composite materials were literally grown, harnessing the efficiency of nature.

Shortly after its founding, the company won small grants from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). This funding was used to create initial samples of the material. This proof of concept enabled the company to win bigger grants from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to further develop the products. Ecovative products embody the cradle-to-cradle philosophy, and every aspect­the source materials, the production process, the product’s route to market and its end-of-use impact­is geared toward efficiency, sustainability, and environmental responsibility.

The IEM Lecture Series is supported by the Joel Omura Kurihara Fund. For more information about the lecture series, please contact Melanie Quigley, program coordinator, at 203.432.6953 or Melanie.quigley@yale.edu.