By Zachary Vasile
When the Hartford Business Journal asked Connecticut manufacturers, regulators and researchers about the viability of large-scale energy storage devices, or batteries, in 2017, they agreed that while the technology would one day be useful or even transformative, numerous obstacles, including cost, were making widespread adoption impractical.
Four years later, however, the view among industry insiders is much different, with many noting that batteries are, and have been, “ready for prime time,” in the words of Melissa P. Gillett, chairperson of the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.
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Melissa P. Gillett
PURA last year issued a straw proposal laying out what regulators would hope to achieve through the adoption of energy storage systems, including hardening the grid against disasters like Tropical Storm Isaias, which left around 800,000 customers without power, some for more than a week.
The state Senate voted Friday to reappoint John W. “Jack” Betkoski III as a commissioner with the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the agency that oversees the rates and services of Connecticut’s investor-owned electricity, natural gas, water and telecommunications companies.
May 18, 2021
It was inevitable, given the lessons of the last year, the innovations of online learning and medicine, that state Democrats would add access to the internet to a small number of regulated public utilities – along with water and electricity – basically guaranteeing every person in Connecticut the right to a speedy connection.
Already many Republicans, and some Democrats, would toss in the regulation of private companies – Twitter and Facebook that provide social media.
But given near universal dissatisfaction with the cost and service of Eversource and United Illuminating, it’s probably worth seriously considering what good will come to consumers by adding Xfinity and Frontier to the mix of companies that already come under the oversight of the state’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.
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General Secretary for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has taken on the government for its rationale behind the ongoing power outages in part of the country popularly known as ‘dumsor.’
Johnson Asiedu Nketia the justification provided by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is untenable and flies in the face of logic.
“Dumsor has come and this one is because of the negligence of this government,” he said on Sunday.
Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh says that most of the transmission lines currently transporting electricity to the various substations were old and works are underway to improve them leading to the outages.
Aquarion Water Co. to acquire Plainville-based NESC, owner of utilities in three states
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Putnam Reservoir in Greenwich, Conn.Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut MediaShow MoreShow Less
Officials with Aquarion Water Co. said Friday the Bridgeport-based utility has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire New England Service Co., a Plainville firm that operates water companies in Connecticut and two other states.
The agreement has been approved by both boards of directors and calls for all NESC employees to keep their jobs. The deal will add about 10,000 customers to Aquarion’s existing customer base of 216,000, which is spread across Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.