Energy districts start to catch on

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.connpost.com/ci_8080374?source=most_emailed

Energy districts start to catch on

Article Last Updated: 01/25/2008 09:36:56 PM EST

The General Assembly's authorization last year of local Energy Improvement Districts is catching on quickly in a handful of the region's communities — and that's a harbinger of good things to come in the future.

Ansonia became the state's first municipality to take steps to establish an independent energy grid and now Bridgeport and Oxford are following suit. Several other towns in the region are contemplating exploring the initial steps.

That bodes well for one part of the controversial omnibus energy bill approved last year by state lawmakers. The new laws have come under heavy criticism for not offering more immediate help to state consumers who are confronted with suffocating energy costs.

Under the new law, Energy Improvement Districts can be formed by such entities as an entire community, a neighborhood, a housing block or a group of businesses to create a "microgrid" that can be powered through alternate energy sources such as gas-powered fuel cells, small generators and solar and wind power sources.

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