Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • February 4, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 17 more solar farm projects this year. But that action may not have as big of an impact, if it's not paired with policy changes that make it easier to erect solar farms in the state, renewables experts say. In 2017, facing concern from farmers and the state's own agri- cultural commis- sioner, the General Assembly passed a law curtailing the siting of solar farms on certain agricultural and forest land. While it may still be too early to gauge the full impact of the law, Pullman & Comley's Hoff- man think it's a negative. He noted that in DEEP's most recent procure- ment of "zero-car- bon" generators — which for the first time includ- ed nuclear plants — six of the nine solar farms selected by DEEP will be located out of state. That means Connecticut gets the clean energy, but none of the economic impacts — like jobs and tax revenue — from building and maintaining the solar farm. DEEP's Sotos sees it differently. The latest clean- energy procure- ment was the first to contain the farmland and forest restric- tions, and the state still "saw some of the most competitive pric- ing that we've seen to date." She said the results sug- gest DEEP can focus building solar farms on old industrial sites, gravel pits and other non-sensi- tive areas, while preserving farms and forests. "I think that helped us realize we can make those a priority," she said. Michaud, who is representing the Candlewood Mountain solar developer in the ongoing lawsuit in New Milford, said developers generally view the state's farms and forest law as unusually restric- tive and a mismatch with Connecticut's otherwise ambi- tious targets for renewable energy. "There's a disconnect in this state that we need to fix," Michaud said, estimating that the law has taken hundreds of sites out of play for so- lar development. That mismatch is not lost on other New Eng- land states, said Richard Jordan, a wetlands scientist and project man- ager with TRC Companies Inc., which helps with energy siting and permitting. Jordan, who is based in Maine, said residents and businesses there sometimes ask him why his solar projects are send- ing their energy to Connecticut instead of staying in Maine. He said his solar clients would love to sell in Maine, but the Pine Tree State's laws don't have the same require- ments for sourc- ing clean energy. What Maine gets instead, he added, are the economic ben- efits of building solar farms. While farm- land and forest restrictions on solar aren't entirely unique to Connecticut, the state's denser population and more expen- sive property can sometimes make siting a solar farm in New Hampshire or Maine more cost- effective, he said. However, there are no solar development paradises in the region, Jordan added. "It's still New England, it's still a bunch of villages," he said. "There's always somebody that doesn't like something about a particular project." Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford (BGCH) has received another corporate funding pledge for its planned $20 million facility in the city's South End. Hartford law firm Shipman & Goodwin LLP has pledged $250,000 for the new club aimed at serving an additional 1,500-plus local children with after-school services and programs. BGCH launched the fundraiser, supported by $7 million from the State Bond Commission, in October with help from a $1 million donation by property- and-casualty insurer The Hartford. Christopher Swift, The Hartford's CEO and chairman, serves as BGCH's capital campaign chair. Five nonprofit organizations, including several based in Hartford, are splitting more than $924,000 from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and the Capital City to combat local homelessness. The foundation, which supports Hartford and 28 nearby communities, said the funding, aimed at providing coordinated services to prevent or eliminate homelessness, will support 1,400-plus individuals and families from Greater Hartford who are homeless or facing homelessness. Grants were awarded to the Salvation Army's southern New England division ($326,640); My Sisters' Place ($220,000); ImmaCare ($144,000); Hands on Hartford ($111,600); and the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness ($30,000). The Salvation Army also received a $92,000 matching grant from the city of Hartford to support "no-freeze efforts." CRIS Radio, which provides a radio reading service for blind and print-handicapped people, received a $25,000 grant from The Fund for Greater Hartford for its CRISKids program. The money will allow CRIS to study the effect of providing audio access of educational materials to students in Enfield, in collaboration with Enfield Public Schools. Nonprofit Notebook NONPROFIT PROFILE Harriet Beecher Stowe Center Inc. 77 Forest Street, Hartford | harrietbeecherstowecenter.org Mission: To preserve and interpret Harriet Beecher Stowe's Hartford home and the center's historic collections, promote vibrant discussion of her life and work, and inspire commitment to social justice and positive change. Top Executive: Briann Greenfield, Executive Director Services: Historic house museum. FY 2017 SUMMARY 2016 2017 Total Employees 33 34 Total Assets $17,600,061 $19,392,820 Total Liabilities $485,433 $161,644 REVENUES Contributions & Grants $1,163,045 $771,554 Program Service Revenue $92,698 $92,986 Investment Income $835,910 $1,300,419 Other $(111,738) ($144,826) Total $1,979,915 $2,020,133 EXPENSES Grants $0 $0 Member Benefits $0 $0 Salaries/Employee Benefits $895,982 $868,096 Fundraising Fees $0 $0 Other $549,996 $515,850 Total $1,445,978 $1,383,946 Margin $533,937 $636,187 TOP PAID EXECUTIVES (FY 2017) Base salary Comp. & Benef. Katherine Kane, Former Exec. Dir. $143,204 $166,034 Source: Guidestar IRS 990 Tax Form A Green New Deal? Progressive Democrats in Congress have re- cently been talking about a Green New Deal, aiming to spur economic growth and protect the environment through major investments in clean and efficient energy. Now, Connecticut lawmakers may be weigh- ing a Green New Deal of their own. Gov. Ned Lamont's energy policy transition team drafted recommendations dubbed a Green New Deal, and a proposed bill co- sponsored by leading Democratic legislators also carries the same name. Here are a few top recommendations from the Lamont transition team: • Prevent the legislature from budget- balancing raids of ratepayer funds meant for energy efficiency. • Mandate that utilities acquire and sell 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. The policy group also called for accelerating renewable targets in the nearer term. • Procure 2,000 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2030. • Expand and accelerate the state's Lead By Example program, which funds energy ef- ficiency in state buildings as well as clean vehicle fleets. • Play a leading role in an envisioned cap- and-invest program for transportation. The state already participates in carbon- pricing auctions for power plants. Comparing energy costs with LCOE When energy agencies and analysts com- pare the cost of solar energy with a power plant or some other generation technology, they use a common metric called "levelized cost of electricity." Put simply, LCOE measures the lifetime costs of building a solar farm or other power generator and divides it by the amount of energy it will produce, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Connecticut solar farms selected by the Department of Energy and Environmental Pro- tection for utility contracts since 2011 have seen their LCOE fall from nearly 23 cents per kilowatt hour to just under 5 cents — which is approaching the cost of building a new natural gas-powered plant, according to DEEP.

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