Hartford Business Journal

16 Hartford Business Journal • February 4, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Matt Pilon mpilon@hartfordbusiness.com A s Connecticut's environ- mental goals have grown increasingly ambitious, one type of renewable- energy technology has emerged as a leader when it comes to lower costs — utility-scale solar farms. The sprawling multi-megawatt facili- ties, comprising thousands of individual solar panels that can cover more than 100 acres, have grown steadily cheaper since 2012, leading the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to award more of them long- term contracts to supply clean power to the state's two electric utilities. In the past seven years, the cost of energy from new solar farms selected by DEEP in competitive-bidding processes has fallen almost 79 percent, and is now nearly on par with the cost of building a new natural gas plant, state officials said. "I think no one in 2012 would have predicted that the trajectory would have gone down that quickly," said DEEP Deputy Commissioner Mary Sotos. So far, only a handful of solar farms have been built in the state, but more than 15 have been greenlit by DEEP since 2013. And now the solar industry is hop- ing that falling prices, paired with a recently strengthened Democratic majority at the state Capitol and a newly elected governor who has signaled strong support for a progres- sive clean-energy agenda, can open up more opportunities for development. But developers also say state policy and local resistance could stunt solar growth. Solar farms have been unpopular in some towns, particularly among proper- ty owners located near proposed developments, who manifest the state's well- known "Not in My Backyard," or NIMBY, attitude. There's been at least one lawsuit against a solar farm development in New Milford on Candlewood Mountain, where residents are con- cerned about deforestation and other impacts to the environment. The group Rescue Candlewood Moun- tain, one of the plaintiffs appealing the state Siting Council's approval of the so- lar farm, has this to say on its homepage: "There should not be a tradeoff be- tween preserving our forests, farms and neighborhoods and clean energy. We believe clear cutting almost 70 acres of core forest (approximately 15,048 trees) for a solar power plant is not the way to protect our environment." Farming interests have also expressed concern about installing panels on usable land, leading the state to adopt stringent rules in recent years that re- strict where solar farms can be located. "Connecticut has moved from NIMBY to 'BANANA' — Build Abso- lutely Nothing Anywhere Near Any- thing," said Lee Hoffman, an energy, environmental and telecom attorney at Pullman & Comley, who represents the developer of a Simsbury solar farm that last year negotiated through some local opposition. "You're sending a message to the developer community that devel- opment is not welcome here." Costs matter Finding cheaper sources of renewable energy is impor- tant because mov- ing toward clean power generation, which Connecticut has done aggres- sively in recent years, is expensive and the state already has some of the highest electricity prices in the country. In fact, energy generated by so- called "Class I" renewable sources — think solar, wind, fuel cells, landfill gas, and several other technologies — cost Connecticut ratepayers $250 million more in 2017 than if that energy was generated by a fossil-fuel plant, ac- cording to DEEP. Francis Pullaro, executive director of trade group RENEW Northeast, which advocates for renewables, said much of the state's clean-energy focus should be on big solar farms, which have been getting cheaper because of falling materials costs and the scale they are able to deliver developers. Pullaro also noted that there's also new momentum about the cost-competitive- ness of offshore wind in New England. To be clear, the electric grid isn't yet ready to do away with fossil-fuel or nuclear power plants and run entirely on intermittent sources like solar and wind, but cost parity is seen as a key milestone to one day reaching that reality, perhaps in the next 30 years. Farms and forests Meantime, the solar industry says policy changes are needed to ensure that activity continues at a pace that will help the state meet its clean-energy goals. Under current law, 40 percent of the electricity generated in Connecticut will have to come from Class I renew- ables by 2030, but Gov. Ned Lamont's transi- tion team recom- mended a "Green New Deal" that could include a goal of 100 per- cent renewables by 2050, in addi- tion to stricter benchmarks in 2025 and 2030. It remains to be seen whether Lamont and the legislature will back those recommen- dations. While local opposition can be a chal- lenge, some perceive state law as the bigger barrier to building many more solar farms in Connecticut. "The bigger issue is actually state policy that is prohibiting these proj- ects," said Paul Michaud, an attorney and executive director of the Renew- able Energy and Efficiency Business Association (REEBA). "It's far more of a threat than NIMBYism." Pullaro said his members want to see the legislature authorize DEEP to select Cost Competitive As solar prices continue to fall, developers say state's restrictive siting policies inhibit industry growth Mary Sotos, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Lee Hoffman, Attorney, Pullman & Comley Paul Michaud, Executive Director, Renewable Energy and Efficiency Business Association A technician from Norwich-based Lantern Energy working on a solar array. Large-scale solar farms have grown increasingly cost competitive in the state, but impediments to the industry's growth still exist. PHOTO | HBJ FILE

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