Electricity Production and Consumption
Connecticut's current electricity mix is comprised of a mix of nuclear, trash and fossil fuel combustion, class 1, and class 2 renewables (CT DEEP, 2019, as cited in, Zhao and Oke, 2024). The largest source of electricity is nuclear, while trash to energy sources have the largest emissions intensity out of any generation types (NARSLAB, 2023). Currently, the state has been shifting away from emitting sources of electricity and towards class 1 renewables such as solar and offshore wind. The latter is poised to play an important role for the state's renewable energy future, as the state legislature committed to purchasing 2,000 MW of electricity from offshore wind by 2030 (Connecticut State Legislature, 2019). Other nearby states have also committed themselves to offshore wind development. In response, Connecticut signed a pact with Rhode Island and Massachusetts to purchase 6,000 MW of electricity from offshore wind by 2030 (Associated Press, 2023), reaffirming the position of all three states that offshore wind plays an important role in our energy and economic future. Our region and its municipalities can ground the transformation of this sector at the local scale by building up grid resiliency, providing economic opportunity, and centering smaller renewable projects that reduce emissions.
Goal: Increase renewable energy production and consumption at the local scale.
Decarbonizing electricity production in commercial and residential buildings is incredibly important for lowering emissions in this sector. In response, the strategies outlined below address LIDAC burdens while also delivering emissions reductions in this important sector.
Set up outreach programs that communicate state and federal level financing programs that support on site renewable generation for residential and commercial building owners.
Evaluate the potential of citing renewable energy projects on vacant and underutilized land, such as brownfield sites, and combine planning for the renewable energy transition with open space planning.
Supporting actions – Partner with local Community Based Organizations to build out renewable energy projects (Ramanan et al., 2021)
Prioritize brownfield sites over open space areas that provide important ecological benefits (Bozuwa & Mulvaney, 2023)
Coordinate with housing authorities to build out community and rooftop solar, battery storage, and microgrids for affordable housing and overcome barriers to solar uptake.
Goal: Prepare local economies for the renewable energy transition.
Workforce development can fuel the renewable energy transition by closing employment gaps in key industries while addressing unemployment within our communities.
Partner with local and state level workforce development centers and trade unions to prepare workforce in key renewable energy sectors, such as offshore wind energy and solar installations.
Develop and take actions to mitigate the future propagation and release of additional methane and greenhouse gasses from the two reservoirs.
Goal: Cap methane emissions from hydroelectric facilities.
Develop and take actions to mitigate the future propagation and release of additional methane and greenhouse gasses from the two reservoirs connected to the federal hydroelectric project.
The goals and strategies listed above only represent priority items for implementation. For a full list of goals and strategies, please refer to the appendix. For a full description of the strategies above, including background and a benefits analysis, please refer to the full PCAP document.