Maine Wind Makes CT Solar Power Affordable

Wind and solar power are the undisputed foundation of our world’s greener future. Regarding these two resources, Connecticut and Maine are going in two different directions. Maine, a state with an abundance of windswept plains, will be a huge player in the United State’s overall wind energy generation endeavors, which is expected to account for over a third of the country’s total power generation by the middle of this century. Connecticut, on the other hand, will be taking advantage of its bright, sunny days by converting more solar energy into electricity to fuel buildings across the state.

It is great that both of these states are making investments in a green, sustainable energy future, but since each state is going in a different direction, how could the completely different resources be combined to create even greater benefits? Let’s take a look at how:

Combining costs to bring prices down

On October 23, 2013, the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority approved a deal put into action by Governor Malloy to use $1 billion to fund both a 250 megawatt wind farm in Maine and a 20 megawatt solar farm in Libson, CT.

At face value, it doesn’t seem to make sense for Connecticut to invest in Maine’s new wind farm, but the combined 270 megawatt deal actually brings down the cost of the entire purchase.

Sharing power

Even with the total cost being reduced, it can seem as though Connecticut is getting the short end of the stick, considering the fact that their new solar farm will only generate 20 megawatts of power, as opposed to the 250 megawatts generated by Maine’s new wind farm. However, both states will actually be using the wind farm, with Connecticut buying some of the cheap wind farm energy from Maine so that energy suppliers in CT can use it. In total, Connecticut will receive nearly a gigawatt of power from the wind farm over the course of its 15 year lifespan.

Why does Connecticut want to buy wind power from Maine?

Right now, at 12 to 15 cents per kilowatt hour, energy rates in CT for their solar farms are fairly high. The wind power from Maine, on the other hand, will run between 6 and 7 cents per kilowatt hour. By investing in the Connecticut solar farms and the Maine wind farms at the same time, Connecticut is effectively driving down the overall cost of their solar investment, with the average price dropping from a high of 15 cents per kilowatt hour to about 8 cents per kilowatt hour.

While it is certain that the deal will drive down renewable energy costs for energy suppliers in CT, the above figures are just estimates. The exact amount that the two largest energy suppliers in CT, Connecticut Light and Power and United Illuminating, will be paying for the solar and wind energy won’t be made public until the end of November this year. The governor did, however, make it clear that the average cost of the 20 year solar and 15 year wind energy deals will be less than 8 cents per kilowatt hour.

Helping Connecticut reach its green goals

By the beginning of 2020 Connecticut wants at least 20 percent of its electricity to come from green, renewable resources by the year 2020. This aggressive push, however, is forcing the renewable energy rates in CT up. When the goal is reached, the state will be closer to grid parity, a point at which the of renewable energy rates in CT from sources such as solar and wind match or fall below that of fossil fuels (without government subsidies).

In addition to helping cut energy costs for energy suppliers in CT—and subsequently their customers—this solar and wind deal will do a lot to help the state reach the above renewable energy goal.

Why doesn’t Connecticut just generate its own wind energy?

The geography of Connecticut makes it very difficult to establish a large scale wind farm anywhere in the state. As such, the state has been forced to focus on other renewable energy sources such as hydropower and solar instead.

While these resources are still being pushed forward to meet parity goals, Connecticut will continue to help energy suppliers in CT take advantage of the Maine wind farm, which is expected to be in service as of December 31, 2016.