CCEF - Project 150 Initiative

Summary

Note: This program has been fully subscribed and no additional solicitations are scheduled to be issued. This entry is here for reference only. This incentive is no longer available. The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund’s (CCEF) Project 150 Initiative was authorized by legislation enacted in June 2003 (P.A. 03-135) that requires the state's two electric distribution companies -- CL&P and UI -- to enter into long-term electricity purchase agreements to obtain at least 150 megawatts (MW) of "Class I" renewable energy. The eligible technologies generally include photovoltaics (PV), solar thermal energy, geothermal energy, wind energy, ocean thermal energy, wave and tidal energy, fuel cells, landfill gas, low-impact hydropower, hydrogen, low-emission biomass, combined heat and power (CHP), and electricity generated by alternative fuels. Pricing under these contracts includes a premium of up to 5.5¢ per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Legislation required that long-term electricity-purchase contracts be in place by October 1, 2008, and must arise from projects that also receive funding from the CCEF. Projects must have an aggregated capacity of at least 1 MW and must have begun operation after July 1, 2003. The CCEF announced the third round of project funding in April 2008 and the last day to submit proposals was May 30, 2008. The Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) opened docket 08-03-03 as required for the approval process. The Round 3 funding announcement requested pricing in terms of an “all-in” energy price denominated in cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) (nominal). For all projects, the price paid by the distribution company is based on the energy delivered to a specified Connecticut “node.” Project developers were directed to energy pricing inclusive of all capital costs, fuel costs, fixed and variable O&M costs, and any other costs associated with delivering the contracted energy output of the facility to the bid-specified point of delivery. The contract period for successful Round 3 proposals is between 10 and 20 years. In addition, the CCEF announced it would award at least $50,000 to each project selected for an electricity purchase agreement under the Project 150 Initiative. The first round of Project 150 Initiative funding was made available in early 2005. The second round of funding was made available in May 2006 and was revised in November 2006. The first two rounds of funding will support a total of 124.2 MW of eligible projects. As of May 2009, zero MW have been built as a result of this project. As of November 2009, the following projects, totaling over 150 MW, have been approved by the DPUC to receive long-term energy purchase agreements and receive CCEF funding, and are in various stages of development: * Round 1: o Watertown Renewable Power (Watertown) – wood biomass * Round 2: o DFC-EPG Milford (Milford) – fuel cell o Clearview East Canaan Energy (East Canaan) – biomass digester o Clearview Renewable Energy (Bozrah) – mixed biomass o Plainfield Renewable Energy (Plainfield) – wood biomass o SNEW Bio-Fuel Power (South Norwalk) – landfill gas o Stamford Hospital (Stamford) – fuel cell o Waterbury Hospital (Waterbury) – fuel cell * Round 3: o Bridgeport Fuel Cell Park (Bridgeport) – fuel cell o DFC-ERG Bloomfield (Bloomfield) – fuel cell o DFC-ERG Glastonbury (Glastonbury) – fuel cell o DFC-ERG Trumbull (Trumbull) – fuel cell o EPG Fuel Cell (Danbury) – fuel cell