ANSONIA Several local businesses have expressed interest in joining the city's own energy-production network in an effort to save money on electricity costs and lessen the strain on the state's power grid. Several business owners in recent weeks have contacted Mayor Jim Della Volpe about hooking up to the state's first Energy Improvement District, which is expected to be formed by the Board of Aldermen at its meeting tonight at 7 in City Hall. The aldermen are also expected to authorize the creation of an oversight board that will manage the microgrid once it's up and running.
"It's not going to happen overnight, but this is something that could be big for providing energy and saving money," Della Volpe said Monday. The energy-improvement district will allow the city to form a microgrid that will locally produce energy at a lower cost. The city expects to work with Pareto Energy, of Washington, D.
C., to form the Ansonia EID. Pareto has lined up a group of investors to help pay for some of the system's startup costs, according to Pareto Chief Executive Officer Guy Warner.
Ray McGee, president of Ansonia Copper Brass, said his company would be interested in joining the EID, and he would be willing to serve on the oversight board if asked by Della Volpe. The company is applying to the state to build a 58.4-megawatt energy generator at its Liberty Street campus.
"I hope I could provide some insight," McGee said, adding that if Della Volpe asked him to serve on the EID panel, "I'd be glad to." Charles Seccombe, owner of Seccombe's Men's Shop on Main Street, said he's not sure about joining the EID board, but likes the concept of buying lower-cost power locally. "I'm very much interested because I think it would be a good thing for Ansonia.
It's great that we'll be the first in the state to have it," he said. According to a draft ordinance approved last week by the aldermen's Ordinance Committee, the EID oversight board will have five members, either elected officials or representatives of local businesses. Della Volpe will recommend candidates for the EID board to the Board of Aldermen, which has the final say on the nominations.
The mayor expects it will take one to two months to fill the EID board. "If it's voted on [today], we'll look at getting the members on the board. Nobody has ever done this before," Della Volpe said.
"We're the first in the state, so we want to do this correctly." Della Volpe said the EID should help lower energy costs for businesses, bring energy consumption under local control, and make use of clean energy sources, such as combined heat and power, fuel cells and other modern technologies. Warner said the EID board would be able to hire a company to create the energy district plan and to contract with a firm for its set-up and maintenance.
"We hope they'll be some of the key energy users in the town," Warner said. A new state law approved last month allows municipalities to create intra-city power grids. Similar systems are used in European cities, American military bases and some college campuses, including the University of Connecticut.
The system would allow for electricity to be generated by natural gas-powered fuel cells and solar and wind power. Ansonia's grid would be tied to the regional power grid, but would still be able to provide power to the city when prices on the regional system rise. The system would still need approvals from the state Department of Public Utility Control and the Connecticut Siting Council.
, who covers the Naugatuck Valley, can be reached at 736-5440. ANSONIA Several local businesses have expressed interest in joining the city's own energy-production network in an effort to save money on electricity costs and lessen the strain on the state's power grid.
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