CT throws a lifeline to fuel cells, waste to energy

Connecticut, also lost out last year on major long-term energy contracts put out to bid by the state.Meantime, a trash-to-energy plant in Wallingford recently closed.Energy attorney Lee Hoffman recently told an industry crowd that Public Act 17-144, which was signed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on June 28, could be a boon to both sectors. "It has so much in it," said Hoffman, who practices at Pullman & Comley in Hartford.Fuel cellsConnecticut's energy policies have treated fuel cells more favorably than most states, helping manufacturers like FuelCell Energy and South Windsor's Doosan install more of their clean-energy units here than in any other parts of the country, except California.But hopes of further expanding the homegrown industry were dashed late last year when the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) failed to select any of the dozen or so fuel cell projects — some looking to find buyers for as much as 20 megawatts of power — that bid into a competitive selection process for utility contracts.The fuel cell projects lost out because they submitted higher-priced bids than solar and wind developers.For example, DEEP recently disclosed that the average cost of the highest-ranked fuel cell bid was 14.3 cents per kilowatt hour, higher than solar (8.1 cents per kilowatt hour) and wind (9.9 cents per kilowatt hour).The new state law, originally proposed by Malloy, puts out to bid new long-term utility contracts with different selection criteria.In particular, it excludes solar projects, leaving the competition to fuel cells, wind power, landfill methane, anaerobic digestion and certain hydropower and biomass facilities.And while bidders will still be competing on price, new additional scoring criteria could give a leg up to fuel cells.For example, greater weight will be given to projects that improve distribution system reliability; fuel cells are considered a steadier source of power than many other renewables like wind and solar, which depend on weather conditions to produce energy.It's not yet clear when DEEP would open up the new bidding process but the agency could select as much as 1,100 gigawatt ho... (Hartford Business)