A trio of New England states has selected projects that will add about 460 megawatts of renewable energy to the region’s market in the next few years. Bidding companies can start negotiating with utilities in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
“It’s really exciting that we were able to successfully collaborate and to deliver clean energy projects that will be at great prices,” said Rhode Island Energy Commissioner Carol Grant.
More details about each project will be available after negotiations are complete.
The request for proposals “attracted bids from numerous types of projects, including solar and wind projects, as well as transmission projects that would help flow clean energy, including traditional renewables and hydropower, into New England load centers,” added Deputy Energy Commissioner Nicholas Ucci.
Deepwater Wind is among those approved bidders with a proposal to build a solar farm in Connecticut. The company that built the nation’s first offshore wind farm off the coast of Block Island is expanding its renewable energy portfolio.
CEO Jeff Grybowski said the company has been working on a small solar energy project in Foster, Rhode Island for more than a year.
“Obviously we are very invested in wind, and offshore wind in particular,” he said during a boat tour of the Block Island Wind Farm, “We think that solar has an important role to play in a diversity of resources in this region for sure.”
The company plans to build several solar facilities in southern New England.
“In the long-term energy storage is going to be an important component of the fuel mix that we have here,” said Grybowski. “[It’s] a complement to the wind and solar projects that we’re building. So those are the core technologies that we’re looking at right now.”
Grybowski thinks this joint effort by three New England states is a boost for clean energy.
“Having the states pull their purchasing power together ultimately means that consumers will see better rates,” said Grybowski, “Projects will be bid really competitively to get into that process.”
Grybowski hopes construction for these projects begins next year or in 2018.
