Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that Connecticut’s innovative and successful microgrid program will take another major step forward when the State Bond Commission meets Tuesday and is expected approve $30 million in funding for new projects that will strengthen the state’s resiliency against future weather events.
Microgrids can provide electricity to critical government facilities and town centers on a 24/7 basis. They include a system to isolate the microgrid and provide power within its network even when there is a largescale outage, such as the ones the state experienced in recent years. Power from a microgrid can be used for government services and businesses that are critical during extreme weather events – such as police, fire, and emergency response teams, hospitals and health care facilities, state and town emergency response centers, grocery stores, and gas stations.
“By creating microgrids, we can provide power for critical government operations, shelter for the public, and business services people need, even when the lights go out elsewhere,” said Governor Malloy. “This funding will mean further progress in our efforts to minimize hardships to our residents and businesses during times when the electric power grid goes down as the result of severe storms.”
Connecticut’s nationally recognized microgrid grant and loan program was created in 2012 as part of a legislative package offered by Governor Malloy following several major storms that led to widespread power outages. The package included a number of initiatives to enhance and augment the ability of the state, municipalities and utility companies to better prepare for and respond to natural disasters and intense weather situations.
“In addition to playing a critical role when the electric grid goes down, microgrids offer a real opportunity to diversify and decentralize our power system,” said Commissioner Robert Klee of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), which administers the state’s microgrid grant and loan program. “Microgrids can provide power for their designated service area through a variety of reliable and environmentally friendly resources, such as fuel cells, Combined Heat and Power Systems, and anaerobic digesters.”
The State Bond Commission’s approval of funding for the program will establish a rolling application process for microgrid proposals, which will allow for faster review and construction of new projects. Funds for the program could be used for design, engineering, and interconnection infrastructure to connect with the main power grid as a backup. They can also be used to purchase and install a generating system, including energy storage, to create power for the microgrid.
DEEP has previously awarded funding for ten microgrids across the state in two previous rounds of funding.
Of the ten projects funded, three have completed construction and testing and are considered operational. These include microgrids at Wesleyan University in Middletown, in the Town of Fairfield, and at the University of Hartford.
Two projects have completed construction and DEEP is awaiting confirmation reports from the testing and commissioning before declaring them operational. These include projects in the Town of Windham and the University of Bridgeport.
Four projects are in the design or construction phase. These projects should all become operational in 2017 or 2018 and include projects in the City of Hartford, the City of Bridgeport, the Town of Woodbridge and the Town of Milford.
(Governor’s Office press release)
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