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CT Green Guide Winter 2014

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www.CTGreenGuide.com WinTer 2014 • Connecticut Green Guide 15 "We want sustainable options because we recognize the critical role higher education institutions have as environmental stewards." Keith Woodward, AVP-Facilities Operations, Quinnipiac University For some organizations, energy efficiency is more than a "good idea." It's a passion. Over the last decade, Quinnipiac University has initiated over 20 energy efficiency projects; they also purchase 100% of their electricity from renewable resources. No wonder they're one of the EPA's Green Power Partnership Top 20 Colleges & Universities. So when Quinnipiac began a large- scale renovation on its North Haven campus, Connecticut's Energy Conscious Blueprint Program was tapped to provide a smart energy strategy. With equipment in the existing facility nearing the end of its functional life, Program engineers recommended upgrading all interior lighting to high-efficiency LEDs and CFLs. Vari- able frequency drives, fans and pumps were installed on the existing heating and cooling system, and a supplementary 10-ton chiller was added. The entire project was supported by a generous incentive from the Energy Efficiency Fund. The renovation not only netted significant dollar and energy savings, but allowed Quinnipiac to cast an eye toward their next energy management project. Project: Quinnipiac University/Center for Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences Measures: Complete interior lighting upgrade (high-efficiency LEDs & CFLs); new HVAC drives, fans, pumps & supplemental 10-ton chiller Fund Incentive: $87,040 Energy Savings: 342,789 kWh electricity/year; 5,141,835 kWh lifetime savings Cost Savings: $61,702 annually CAHP34GG Find energy solutions for your business. Call 877-WISE-USE (877-947-3873) or visit EnergizeCT.com Energize Connecticut helps you save money and use clean energy. It is an initiative of the Energy Efficiency Fund, the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority, the State, and your local electric and gas utilities with funding from a charge on customer energy bills. are those covering setbacks and noise. The setback regulation requires a wind turbine to be sited a minimum of 1.5 times the height of the turbine from the nearest property line. In a highly developed state such as Connecticut, finding a property with enough space to incorporate setback of several hundred yards in all directions will be difficult. The noise regulation requires testing of maximum noise levels at the nearest receptor, meaning the nearest home or business, but it also requires testing of maxi- mum cumulative noise levels at the property lines. This means that a project could violate the noise regulations if it exceeds maximum allowable noise levels at a property line even if the property it borders is a 50-acre parcel with the nearest receptor being on the opposite side of that parcel from the wind turbines. The regulations contain a waiver provision for both setbacks and noise, but these being new, untested regulations, the relative ease or dif- ficulty of receiving a waiver remains to be seen. In September, the Connecticut Supreme Court af- firmed the CSC's 2011 approvals of BNE's projects. Fair- WindCT had challenged those approvals on a number of issues, but the Supreme Court ruled that the CSC acted properly and within its statutory powers. Three important takeaways from the case are: 1) wind turbines more than 1 megawatt in size are within the CSC's jurisdiction; 2) the CSC can approve petitions for declaratory ruling even if the project does not comply with state laws that are outside of CSC's jurisdiction; and 3) imposition by the CSC of post-approval conditions, such as the need for a development and management plan, that go beyond the CSC's statutory mandate do not necessarily render the CSC's approval improper. Given the foregoing, the future of wind energy genera- tion in Connecticut is still up in the air. The state now has a defined regulatory path for siting these projects and, at least at this point, no further legal hurdles to overcome. But, will any developers be willing to take the first steps down that path? That is the multi-million-dollar question. matthew L. Stone is an associate in the regulatory, energy and tele- communications department and the environmental law department at law firm Pullman & Comley. Connecticut no longer has a moratorium on wind farms, and the Connecticut Supreme Court struck down a challenge by a citizen's group to stop development of a wind project in Colebrooke. PhoTo | hbJ File

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