Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • June 4, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 21 OTHER VOICES Supporting fuel cell industry means greater future for CT By Joel M. Rinebold C lean and reliable energy. Job creation and economic development. Those are just a few of the benefits Connecticut would enjoy if the state continues to invest in fuel cell technology. Public Act 17-144, now expanded by Senate Bill 9, authorizes our electric utilities to deploy up to 30 megawatts (MW) of grid-enhancing fuel cells, and the Department of Energy and Envi- ronmental Protection (DEEP) to pro- cure energy from fuel cells, biomass anaerobic digestion and offshore wind to enhance reliability of the grid. Recently submitted proposals include four anaerobic di- gester projects in Connecticut with a combined capac- ity of over 4 MW; three offshore wind proposals outside of Con- necticut waters with a combined capacity of over 590 MW; and 18 fuel cell projects in Connecticut with a combined capacity of over 230 MW. The General Assembly is to be com- mended for identifying the great value of distributed energy and fuel cells to provide clean, reliable power to end us- ers and the state's grid. It is in Connect- icut's best interest to support locally driven initiatives that directly benefit our residents and our economy. With the selection of projects locat- ed within Connecticut, the state would gain an opportunity for increased local reliability, local construction jobs and reinforcement of the local grid. Further, the selection of fuel cells within the DEEP procurement will bol- ster local fuel cell businesses and the state's economy. The fuel cell industry is the only Class I renewable energy resource that has a strong manufac- turing presence and industrial supply chain in Connecticut. The Connecticut hydrogen fuel cell industry provides approximately $601 million in revenue and investment annually. For every dollar of revenue generated by the hydrogen fuel cell industry through the manufacture and provision of fuel cell technology, an additional 84 cents of revenue is generated by other Connecticut busi- nesses in the supply chain. Using this conservative industry economic multiplier of 1.84, the eco- nomic activity potentially produced by 230 MW of fuel cell energy sources procured by DEEP and located within Connecticut would result in over $920 million of direct revenue and an ad- ditional $773 million in indirect and induced revenue that could be added to the state's economy. In terms of cost to the consumer rate base, the price of energy from fuel cells is expected to compare very favorably with other Class I renew- able energy resources. Cash flow and simple payback from fuel cell projects are typically achievable within four to seven years depending on financing. Additionally, fuel cells have an exceptionally high availability and do not require additional backup genera- tion, batteries or other energy-storage technologies to meet demand, unlike intermittent renewable sources. Also, the development of distributed generation resources typically does not require new or significant rein- forcement of transmission facilities. With a long-term commitment of investment, incentives and support- ing policy, the hydrogen and fuel cell businesses in Connecticut can provide a lead for regional and national eco- nomic growth, and Connecticut can be established as the global manufactur- ing hub for the industry. Joel Rinebold is the chairman of the Connecticut Hydrogen-Fuel Cell Coalition and director of energy at the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology. HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM POLL LAST WEEK'S POLL RESULT: Should CRDA use eminent domain to acquire a key, privately owned block of the XL Center? NEXT WEEK'S POLL: Should lawmakers allow CT Lottery to sell its games online? To vote, go online to hartfordbusiness.com BIZ BOOKS 'Make mom proud' standards for customer service By Jim Pawlak "Would You Do That to Your Mother — The 'Make Mom Proud' Standard for How to Treat Your Customers" by Jeanne Bliss (Portfo- lio/Penguin, $27). What would make any mom want to "wash your mouth out with soap?" In the business world, soapy-mouth syndrome occurs because companies put company time before customer time. How? Well-in- tended best practices focus on inter- nal processes that boost profit at the expense of their effect on the customer. Example: Most large companies have customer-service call centers where a customer must follow numerous prompts and wait to speak to a per- son. The longer it takes to reach "help" means two things to a "mom": 1. There must be a lot of customers with issues. Ouch! 2. The call center is understaffed, and the rep will be thinking about how quickly to deal with a customer's issue and move to the next call because reps have "call quotas." While the example deals with front- line customer contact, Bliss advocates using a "Would I do that to my mother" approach at all levels of the organization. Why? Decisions affecting the customer experi- ence encourage either loyalty or estrangement. Those decisions start with how the internal customers (i.e. employees) are treated. Don't expect them to treat external customers better than they're treated. Treating employees like mom in- volves letting them "think on their feet and make the right call." Sometimes they'll make mistakes; they'll also learn from them. One of the soapy-mouth mistakes Bliss cites: Hiding behind "Our policy is … " regardless of the customer's issue. Upon hearing those dreaded words, the customer actually hears: "Your policy doesn't care about the customer." I found that out when I went to the local market to return an item. Despite having the market's sticker, the customer-disservice person invoked "Our policy is you must have a receipt" and wouldn't refund my $6. I won't be shopping there again. 65.8% No 34.2% Yes READER COMMENTS: "The privately owned block of the XL Center should be dealt with as a business venture because our city should gain added value from the investment." "Yes, Northland is an out-of-town landlord that does not want to be a part of Hartford's growth." Joel M. Rinebold Jim Pawlak Book Review

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