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Reed on a solar roof.
Branford State Rep. Lonnie Reed is back in Hartford working on getting players to the table who might be able to resolve a sticky proposed pilot project: community based solar for renters of apartments and condos and those houses unable to install solar panels.
The holdup is the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) request for clarification from the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) on what the pilot project may do. According to a story in the CT. Mirror, DEEP will formulate a preliminary request for proposals only when it receives a ruling from PURA.
State energy officials from DEEP and PURA will meet soon with Reed, a co-chair of the Energy & Technology Committee, to negotiate their differences and the delays it has caused. Eversource and United Illuminating officials are expected to join them, Reed said.
Reed, a staunch solar advocate, wants to fast-track the project, she said in an interview. So far the pilot program seems to have been slow-tracked.
The idea is to expand the popular solar system form of power to rental and condo buildings and others who will pay into a shared installation elsewhere. The utility companies have to pay solar owners for electricity their panels are putting back into the utility system. So far the utilities have said they want no part of administering a shared solar program, the CT Mirror reported.
Reed also plans to introduce legislation this session to enable towns equipped with solar systems on their landfills to direct their operation toward reducing electricity prices for municipal buildings. The municipal program had a quota to control subsidy costs “and that quota has been exceeded, so we are moving to open it up again,” she said.
During a recent interview on WNHH radio’s “Legal Eagle” program, Reed discussed various energy programs, including the state’s first installation of commercial wind turbines in the hills of Colebrook. The wind turbine is now Colebrook’s biggest property tax payer and a major employer. She also discussed renewables and energy efficiency (using less to produce more). She also wants to find ways to expand natural gas to generating plants so they don’t burn coal or dirty oil.
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Reed, Catherine Smith, Commissioner of the ConnecticutDepartment of Economic and Community Development (DECD) and Froshauer. .
Reed also discussed how well the biotech and technology sector are working on the shoreline, especially in Branford. Dr. Susan Froshauer, executive director of the bioscience network Connecticut United for Research Excellence (CURE), held a recent CURE event at the Stony Creek Brewery in Branford, where the discussion centered on collaborative opportunities, research and attracting companies to Connecticut.
To listen to the entire interview witih Lonnie Reed on the “Legal Eagle” radio program, click on or download the above audio file.
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