Parkville neighborhood is selected as a location for one of nine microgrids to be created by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
The anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene, one of the two 2011 storms that knocked out power to millions of Connecticut residents, is right around the corner. But Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and state officials didn’t want anyone to forget they’re doing something about the possibility of another extended outage.
“There is no state in the nation doing more on the issue right now . . . on the issue of climate change and getting to cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable energy than the state of Connecticut,” Malloy told a group of seniors citizens Wednesday at the Parkville Senior Center in Hartford.
He said the state is the first in the nation to have a statewide microgrid program.
A microgrid is a small power plant that’s usually fueled with natural gas or a fuel cell and allows a town center to continue operating when power is out. The Parkville Senior Center where Wednesday’s event was held was chosen as one of nine locations for state-funded microgrid projects. The state plans to build a $2.06 million, 600 kw natural gas turbine to power the senior center, library, supermarket, and gas station when the power goes out.
8/26/13 – State’s Innovative Microgrids Provide Pockets of Power