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G R E AT E R H A R T F O R D ' S B U S I N E S S N E W S w w w. H a r t f o rd B u s i n e s s . c o m For more B2B news visit JULY 6, 2015 Volume 23, Number 32 $3.00 Subscribe online 2 0 1 5 P U B L I S H I N G J U LY 2 0 Visit HartfordBusiness.com for more information L o o k f o r t h i s s p e c i a l i s s u e Awards event, Sept. 30 Solar Blockage Law prevents cities from building large solar arrays By Brad Kane bkane@HartfordBusiness.com C onnecticut's attempts to create a self- sustaining clean energy industry that no longer needs government subsidies are being undercut by the state's own laws, sti- fling millions of dollars in potential projects. The latest snag has to do with virtual net metering (VNM), a subsidy-free program created in 2013 that allows certain utility ratepayers — cities, towns, farms and state- owned property — to offset the costs of a solar system by building larger arrays and sharing or selling the power to neighboring properties. Municipalities around the state have proposed 15 megawatts in solar projects under the program, all on closed landfills. Those projects, however, might never come to fruition because the state VNM law Continued on page 14 UNAMI SILVER S Connecticut's Hartford was the first — and remains the only — Connecticut municipality to put solar on a closed landfill, although it had to do it without the benefit of virtual net metering. David Bodendorf, senior environmental engineer for landfill operator Materials Innovation & Recycling Authority, helped oversee the array's construction. P H O T O | H B J F I L E Replacement Players Absent a set plan, CT Inc., state innovate paths to a youthful workforce P H O T O | S T E V E L A S C H E V E R T his week, HBJ resumes its aging workforce series, "Connecticut's Silver Tsunami," with a look at how the private sector is preparing the next-generation workforce. As Connecticut grays, employers are using disparate approaches to leverage Baby Boomers' wisdom and experience to groom a younger talent pipeline that will be all the more important for the state's economic competiveness. PG. 12 Meantime, over the next three ensuing weeks, HBJ will explore how Connecticut's aging workforce is dramatically changing the healthcare industry, impacting state finances, and generating business opportunities for a host of industries and professions. Senior manufacturing-applications engineer Jack Quitter (left) instructs UConn materials science- engineering major-intern Jonathan Rasimas how to use the Optomec additive manufacturing machine at the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology. Index ■ Reporter's Notebook: PG. 5 ■ Week in Review: PG. 6 ■ Focus: PG. 8 ■ The List: PG. 10 ■ Deal Watch: PG. 11 ■ Opinion & Commentary: PG. 20 FOCUS: BIOSCIENCE Beating Breast Cancer Find out how one former UConn incubator company is trying to reshape breast cancer care with a diagnostics test that can predict a patient's response to a particular cancer treatment. PG. 8 This week Hartford Business Journal sits down with mayoral candidate Giselle Jacobs, a community activist who wants to focus on jobs, crime and education to help the underserved. PG. 3 H A R T F O R D MAYORAL RACE 2015