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Federal funding a boon to local green energy
Oct 20, 12:02 PM
Torrington Register Citizen
By DAVID HUTTER and RONALD DEROSA
In the midst of a stagnating economy, the public sector and the
private sector alike are working to provide cleaner energy.
The United States Congress passed legislation to give $700 billion to
save the failing credit markets earlier this month. The bailout bill
included incentives for companies involved that produce energy.
FuelCell Energy employs 300 people at a manufacturing plant in
Torrington and another 50 people at a research development and
corporate offices in Danbury. The bailout package contains pieces that
will benefit FuelCell Energy, company chief financial officer Joe
Mahler said.
The bill gives tax credits of 30 percent to people or companies that
buy fuel cells, providing an incentive to invest in the technology, he
said.
“The legislation supports wind, solar, and fuel cells,” Mahler said.
“From our standpoint, the federal government wants to provide an
incentive to produce cleaner energy.”
“We do not combust. We are clean,” Mahler said. “We do not produce
those noxious chemicals.”
Another local company that may see windfalls from public-sector
support of clean energy programs is Torrington-based Optiwind, which
makes its wind-powered turbines available to small businesses, schools
and municipal buildings.
Optiwind is working on getting turbines in at the Woodridge Lake Sewer
District in Goshen, which will be the first commercial wind turbine
setup in the state of Connecticut.
The University of Connecticut is taking steps to reduce its impact on
the natural environment, spokesperson Richard Veilleux said.
The university conducted an “EcoMadness” competition earlier this
semester among its freshman students to see which dormitories could
make the greatest reduction in their use of electricity and water, he
said. The winning dormitory reduced its energy by 28.3 percent during
the three-week period, he said.
“We get their collegiate careers started on the right foot,” Veilleux
said. “We make them ecological stewards. We save energy and water
usage.”
The university derives its drinking water from a nearby source. It is
also currently setting up a compost pile at its primary campus in
Storrs. The main campus enrolls more than 16,000 full-time
undergraduates and about 2,700 full-time graduate students, he said.
The university is assessing the effects of its professors and
administrators’ flights on airplanes in terms of the effect on the
environment. The university has shuttle buses that use 20 percent
biodiesel fuel, he said.
They are also asking the students to recycle old sneakers through a
program that will use the rubber to make a running track, he said.
The candidates for the fifth congressional district of Connecticut
differ sharply on their proposals regarding energy policy.
David Cappiello, the Republican candidate, voiced concerns for
renewable energy as a viable option. He said he also supports
off-shore drilling, a policy his opponent Chris Murphy is not as
adamant on supporting.
“Families shouldn’t wait for solar power,” Cappiello said. “We should
have a more open mind to an energy policy.”
“If we are going to wean ourselves off of the dependence on foreign
oil, we should encourage more creativity in businesses,” he said. “We
should also encourage businesses, and families, to conserve more.”
Chris Murphy, the Democratic incumbent, said tax credits from the
bailout bill apply not only to businesses but individuals as well,
Murphy said. He highlighted in particular the fact that many
individuals are installing solar panels on their homes, as well as
geo-thermal systems, to provide power.
“I think the economic crisis increases the imperative to address
issues like energy,” Murphy said. “Renewable energy is the future of
this country and district. We see the expansion right here in
Torrington with FuelCell Energy.”
“When a company in Torrington can use the tax credits in the Economic
Rescue Bill to install solar paneling, it will save them money,”
Murphy said. “If we hadn’t extended the renewable energy tax credit,
we would lose jobs at Fuel Cell Energy right here in Torrington.”
Green Party candidate Harold Burbank said he wants the United States
to produce its own energy. He said he wants to use hydrogen in order
to accomplish these goals in a joint program owned by the government
and the citizens, with the latter group owning 51 percent. In
addition, Burbank believes American dependence on foreign oil leads to
wars and economic uncertainty.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced on Tuesday the state is increasing the
availability of solar energy systems. She said that
“We have heard from hundreds of homeowners since launching the
Connecticut Solar Lease in August,” Rell said in a written statement.
“It underscores our commitment to renewable energy and shows there is
clear need to make this clean, green power accessible and affordable.”
The Connecticut Solar Lease Program gets rid of the high initial costs
associated with buying and installing of residential solar
photovoltaic systems, she said. Along with the Connecticut Clean
Energy Fund, a combination of rebates and tax credits can be used to
lower the cost of leasing solar systems, helping more residents obtain
clean, renewable solar energy, she said.
On Thursday, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund announced that the town
of New Hartford has joined the Connecticut Clean Energy Communities
Program by committing to purchase at least 20 percent of its
electricity for municipal facilities from clean, renewable energy
sources by the year 2010.
