Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced plans for two new solar and wind energy projects last week.
To achieve cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy, Malloy is seeking approval to install a solar photovoltaic system in Sprague and Lisbon, Conn., and a wind farm in Maine.
“The selection of these two projects is a major milestone in implementing our Comprehensive Energy Strategy,” Malloy said in a press release. “These projects bring real benefits ”“ cleaner power with no air emissions and improved reliability by diversifying our energy portfolio ”“ all at a cost comparable to electricity generated from conventional power plants.”
Malloy said the plan is the most significant step the state has ever taken to “harness the power of clean energy.”  Officials at the state’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority have 30 days to review and approve the power purchase agreements.
If approved, the projects will represent nearly one-fifth of the state’s goal to obtain 20 percent of its electric power from clean energy sources by 2020.
“This renewable energy procurement is a great success achieved in a tight time frame,” said Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz in a press release. “We seemed to be facing a potential shortage of the renewable energy needed to meet the state”™s legal requirements by the end of the decade. But the projects selected in this process will help to alleviate that concern, at prices that are quite attractive.”
