Issue Position: Broaden Our Search For and Increase Our Reliance on Renewable Energy

Issue Position

I support the recent toughening of the state's Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), yet I believe that we must go further in order to achieve our carbon reduction goals by 2050. The RPS sets standards for electricity production in Connecticut. I support strengthening the state's RPS to at least 35 percent Class I renewable energy sources by 2025; at least 50 percent by 2030; at least 80 percent by 2040; and 100 percent by 2050.

I will support growth of distributed generation. Distributed generation resources, such as solar photovoltaic and wind generation, can provide economic, environmental, and energy security benefits to electricity customers.

I will review the recently-passed SB 9 to ensure that net metering fairly compensates homeowners who produce solar power and reflects the value of the carbon they are offsetting. However, I am opposed to any cost-shifting to other ratepayers.

I will streamline our state's community solar permitting process and virtual net metering rules to speed construction of medium-to-large solar installations over brownfields, parking lots, and warehouses. My goal is to create standards that drive clean energy development to sites that lack other good uses while keeping the door open to owners of productive lands who want to integrate clean energy into their mix of uses. I would prefer to see more solar arrays on urban rooftops than over our farmlands.

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