Hartford Business Journal
by: Brad Kane
June 17, 2013
With the Connecticut General Assembly’s passage of two more clean energy programs in June, the industry now has every available tool a state government can offer.
“The pressure is now on our industry to perform,” said Michael Trahan, executive director for trade group Solar Connecticut. “The governor and the legislature have given us the tools. Now we have to go out and produce.”
One of the latest tools — submetering — expands the availability of solar, fuel cell, and other clean installations to multi-unit buildings. The other tool — virtual net metering — allows for larger installations and for renewable power to be sold competitively.
These come on top of other policy changes since Gov. Dannel P. Malloy took office in 2011. The development of the Zero-emissions/Low-emissions Renewable Energy Credit program, or ZREC/LREC, provides utility ratepayer funds to lower the costs of renewables. The Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy, or C-PACE, program gives low-cost financing to business property owners to repay improvements using energy savings. Read more…