The attached report by the Connecticut Commission on Environmental Standards provides recommendations to offshore wind developers in mitigating potential risks to the area's wildlife, fishing industry, and water navigation systems. The Commission urges developers to conduct assessments on potential impact areas and provide funding to offset economic and environmental losses.

Impact on Wildlife Impact on Economy Offshore Wind Connecticut

This report by the Yankee Institute examines the State of Connecticut's mandate requiring electricity providers to get a certain percentage of their power from renewable energy sources. The executive summary of the report is provided below. The full report can be accessed by clicking the links on this page.

Impact on Economy Energy Policy Connecticut

In this ruling brought by residents near a proposed wind energy facility in Colebrook Connecticut, the court ruled the residents had fair opportunity to raise their concerns and ultimately sided with the state's energy siting council. The opening section of the decision is provided below. The full decision can be accessed at the document links on this page.

Legal Connecticut

Memo from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities Chairman, Paul Hibbard, to the ISO New England. Chairman Hibbard expresses his concerns over the push to regionalize costs for building expensive transmission lines to service renewable projects (wind) built far from load centers. Current FERC rules are unclear on how to justify distribution of the costs across all ratepayers within the region unless it can be shown such transmission is needed to ensure the reliability and integrity of the grid.

Energy Policy Connecticut Massachusetts Maine New Hampshire Rhode Island Vermont

New England ISO (NE ISO) control area includes the six states of New England (CT, RI, MA, ME, NH, VT). 

General Connecticut Massachusetts Maine New Hampshire Rhode Island Vermont

Renewable energy sources have disadvantages as well as advantages, however. Although their costs have decreased in recent years, many renewables are still more costly than traditional sources. Some are also available only intermittently; for example, wind can be variable and hydroelectric is seasonal. And while many people are in favor of renewables in principle, many are also unhappy when faced with the prospect of a windmill or a trash-burning power plant in their neighborhood. These facilities face the same siting and investment difficulties that any electrical facility would, as the developers of a proposed wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod have discovered in recent years.

Energy Policy Connecticut Massachusetts Maine New Hampshire Rhode Island Vermont

...the MEA Report can be used to estimate the value (avoided emissions) of Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) by providing both REC suppliers and stakeholders with information that can be used to communicate the environmental benefits of RECs and works to enhance the overall REC marketplace. Editor's Note: As noted below under Methodology [emphasis added], this report appears to substantiate the point that wind energy would not backdown "baseload" generation.

Pollution Taxes & Subsidies Energy Policy General Connecticut Massachusetts Maine New Hampshire Rhode Island Vermont

This presentation indicates that for New England the increasing demand for summer-time electricity is greater and increasing faster than winter-time demand. The fast-rising need for power in summer will likely result in construction of new power plants to keep ahead of demand - although inland industrial wind plants will not be able to contribute much to this demand period due to their very low capacity factor during summer months.

Energy Policy Connecticut Massachusetts Maine New Hampshire Rhode Island Vermont

Comments to FERC by the New England Conference of Public Utility Commissions and the Vermont Department of Public Service

Energy Policy Connecticut Massachusetts Maine New Hampshire Rhode Island Vermont