In Connecticut, the momentum behind SmartPower’s 20% by 2010 Campaign continues. The towns of Canton and Orange have both passed resolutions committing themselves to purchase 20% of their electricity supply from clean, renewable sources by the year 2010, bringing the total of cities and towns in Connecticut with such resolutions to ten. By passing the resolutions, the municipalities become eligible to earn a free solar photovoltaic system for a municipal building through the Connecticut Clean Energy Communities program. They earn the free solar when residents and businesses in the towns sign up for CTCleanEnergyOptions. For more information on the 20% by 2010 Campaign, see SmartPower’s website or contact us at info@smartpower.org.

“Pennsylvania is leading the way in the development and deployment of new technology, offering significant financial incentives to make energy manufacturing a cornerstone of our economic future and ensuring that more electricity generation comes from environmentally beneficial resources,” said Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty.

Applicants may seek financial assistance in the form of grants, loans or loan guarantees for a variety of electric power projects including wind, solar, biomass, waste coal and coal gasification, among others. Applied research projects related to electric power also are eligible to apply.

The investment coincides with Governor Rendell’s focus on clean energy as a driver of economic development in the state. The Governor has been touting the development of a new manufacturing sector that focuses on advanced and renewable energy systems, energy efficiency and conservation, and clean advanced energy businesses, and encouraging companies that are located elsewhere to consider establishing manufacturing, sales, marketing and distribution centers in Pennsylvania.

SmartPower will be actively promoting clean energy choices on Earth Day throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island. For more detail on Earth Day events around Connecticut, see the DEP website. For Rhode Island Earth Day information, see the Department of Environmental Management website. A partial list of the events where SmartPower will be present:

Saturday April 16
Celebrate Earth Day. Plan it. Earth. Fourth annual Earth Day celebration sponsored by United Illuminating (UI). Games, activities, workshops, prizes, giveaways; bring an old, working air conditioner and receive a $25 incentive by mail. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at UI’s Smart Living Center in Orange, CT.

Wednesday April 20
Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Eastern Connecticut State University’s chapter of Roots & Shoots hold an Earth Day Celebration. Live music, poetry, and insightful commentary from environmental speakers on a solar-powered stage. SmartPower’s own Bob Wall to speak. 1 p.m.-8 p.m. at Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT.

Wednesday April 20
Town of Hamden Earth Day Celebration, speakers and exhibits on renewable energy, conservation, recycling, green building, forestry, parks, and more. SmartPower’s Bob Wall to speak. Refreshments. 6-8:30 p.m. at the Thorton Wilder Auditorium, 2901 Dixwell Ave., Hamden, CT.

Thursday April 21
Earth Day Fair. Browse exhibits on water, composting, air quality, clean power, lead safety, plastics, diesel, mercury, and more. Watch the stilt walker. Learn about cycling, recycling, freecycling, community gardening. See live animals. Make a living necklace. Games, prizes, snacks. Sponsored by The Hartford Neighborhood Environmental Partnership. 12-4 p.m. at the Hartford Public Library, Central Library, Hartford, CT.

Friday April 22
Town of Windsor Earth Day Celebration. "Signs of Spring" family nature walk, environmental children's games, Earth Day crafts, earth care demonstrations and much more. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Northwest Park, Windsor, CT.

Friday April 22
City of Middletown Earth Day Celebration. Sign up for Clean Energy (bring your account information) and hear about new environmental initiatives undertaken by the City and Wesleyan University. Bring your old sneakers for the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program. SmartPower’s Bob Wall to speak. 12:30 p.m. on the lawn in front of City Hall, Middletown, CT.

Saturday April 23
Audubon Society of Rhode Island Earth Day Celebration.
Focus on clean energy; introduction of the ASRI Environmental Education Center's new solar exhibit, as well as storytelling, children's puppet shows, games, crafts, face painting, bluegrass music, live animal demonstrations, and guided walks. Coast 93.3 broadcasting live. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Audubon Society Environmental Center, Bristol, RI.

Saturday April 23
Rhode Island's official Earth Day celebration. Environmental fair featuring informational displays and environmentally friendly activities. Special talks and presentations. 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., free with regular zoo admission. For more information, call 401-785-3510. At Roger Williams Park Zoo, Providence, RI.

State leaders, residents participate in State Capitol Signing Ceremony at Clean Energy Summit

In a crowded room at the State Capitol earler this month the pen again was mightier than the sword as Connecticut clean energy stakeholders officially launched the CTCleanEnergyOptions program (Go to the CTCleanEnergyOption website). The stakeholders involved with the launch included the State of Connecticut, Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC), the Office of Consumer Counsel, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, Sterling Planet, Community Energy, the state utilities, SmartPower, Environment Northeast, Clean Water Fund and the Inter-Religious Eco-Justice Network.

The program gives customers of The United Illuminating Company and The Connecticut Light & Power Company the power to support clean energy from sources such as wind, small hydro and landfill gas. Throughout April, electric bills for both residential and business will include an enrollment form that gives people the choice to sign up for clean energy.

To show support for CTCleanEnergyOptions, state leaders and dozens of state residents enrolled in the program in a special signing ceremony in the historic Old Judiciary Room at the State Capitol during Connecticut’s first-ever Clean Energy Summit.

Connecticut leaders and residents sign up for clean energy.

“Every resident should take advantage of this exciting program and sign up,” stated SmartPower president Brian F. Keane. “The commitment of the clean energy stakeholders assembled here today, combined with the strength and availability of clean energy, sends a signal across Connecticut that clean energy is real, it’s here, and it’s working.”

“Today we are celebrating the formal launch of the CTCleanEnergyOptions program, an innovation that will have a positive impact on every resident of the state of Connecticut, not only today, but for generations to come.” said Lise Dondy, chief operating officer of the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund.

The CTCleanEnergyOptions program joins other clean energy initiatives in Connecticut that encourage a voluntary clean energy market. Programs such as Connecticut’s Clean Energy Communities and SmartPower’s 20% by 2010 Campaign will serve as strong incentives to maximize the number of Connecticut residents that sign up for the CTCleanEnergyOptions program.

“Working together, these programs will continue to demonstrate Connecticut’s role as a clean energy leader across the nation,” said Keane.

Connecticut’s clean energy leaders. Front row: Tim Bowles, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund; Ray Dunaway, WTIC Radio; Jeff Keeler, Community Energy. Back row: Jim Michaud, The United Illuminating Company; Anne George, Department of Public Utility Control; Brian Keane, SmartPower; Lise Dondy, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund; Mary Healey, Office of Consumer Counsel; Mel Jones, Sterling Planet; Chris Gibson, The Connecticut Light & Power Company.

The Department of Public Utility Control had announced in March that Sterling Planet and Community Energy are the two companies that won the right to provide clean energy alternatives to Connecticut’s electric energy consumers. Customers can opt to have the clean power choice applied to 100% or 50% of their total monthly electric energy consumption. The cost of the option depends on a consumer’s usage and the product chosen; a residential consumer who uses 500 kWh of electricity per month would pay between $2.75 and $5.75 per month in addition to their regular charges for electricity.

Connecticut residents and businesses can learn about and enroll in CTCleanEnergyOptions in a number of ways. An insert in the April bill details the program, and details are also online at www.GoCleanEnergy.com. Consumers can enroll online or by calling the clean energy provider of their choice, Sterling Planet or Community Energy.

The Summit also announced the first major multi-media advertising campaign in Connecticut to educate people to make the switch to clean energy.

“The $300,000 multi-media campaign shows how major league baseball stadiums, factories and large institutions like hospitals can be totally powered by the clean energy available today,” said SmartPower’s Keane. “In fact, this time of year, it’s worthy of note that enough clean energy is already produced in America to light up every professional baseball park. Not to mention the entire state of Connecticut!” continued Keane.

The television, radio, print ads and logo for the campaign were created by the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) and SmartPower.

In April, SmartPower also launched the second year of its clean energy multi-media campaign in Rhode Island with television commercials. The new “Stadiums” ad was added into the mix (see article), joining the previously released “Hospitals,” “Factories,” and “Houses.” All four ads, which can be seen online at either CleanEnergyRI.com or SmartPower.org, emphasize clean energy’s power and reliability and continue to feature the tag line “Clean energy. It’s real. It’s here. It’s working.”

The ads will be broadcast on such shows as Meet the Press, Face the Nation, and other news programming, as well as on selected Boston Red Sox baseball broadcasts. The campaign will direct consumers to a web site – www.cleanenergyri.com – where state residents and small businesses can sign up for Narragansett Electric’s GreenUP_SM program.

With their April electric bill, utility customers are receiving an enrollment form for the GreenUP_SM program, which gives Rhode Island residents the opportunity to choose clean energy from sources such as solar, wind, biomass, or landfill gas. This is the second year for this innovative and highly successful program. As part of the Clean Energy RI multi-media campaign, households will be alerted to look in their Narragansett Electric bill this month for their chance to enroll.

The Rhode Island campaign also includes a new round of events to increase visibility of clean energy and to let clean energy providers talk face-to-face with Rhode Island residents about their choices. Clean energy marketers and solar energy installers were present at the Rhode Island Home Show in March and will be at the Rhode Island Sustainable Living Festival & Renewable Energy Expo at Apeiron Institute in Coventry on Saturday, June 4th. Then, on June 16th, it’s “Clean Energy Rhode Island Night” at the Pawtucket Red Sox game at McCoy Stadium. On that night, electricity for the entire stadium will be generated from clean energy sources, echoing the theme of the new “Stadiums” ad.

In Rhode Island, Clean Energy RI’s goal is to increase the overall awareness of and demand for clean energy, both in the form of enrollments in GreenUP_SM and through increased demand for on-site generation from sources such as wind or solar.

“We are already well on our way to signing up thousands of residents to purchase a portion of their electricity needs from a clean energy source,” Keane said. “If the lights in your neighbor’s house can run on clean energy, than certainly it can power every other house across Rhode Island.”

“The campaign shows how major league baseball stadiums, big industry and major institutions like hospitals and universities can be totally powered by clean energy,” Keane said. “This is the first major public service campaign on this scale created to get people to switch to clean energy.”

“It should now be obvious to everyone that the clean energy train is leaving the station,” said SmartPower’s chief operating officer Jonathan Edwards. “The leadership of the State Energy Office, the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund, Narragansett Electric and close to 2,000 residents of Rhode Island clearly demonstrates that clean energy is a strong and available source of electricity.”

Some consumers, while supportive of clean energy and interested in choosing a product, were somewhat bewildered by the breadth of choices they had in Rhode Island and Massachusetts last year. Each consumer had a choice of up to seven different products with a range of prices and content. Now, several suppliers have teamed up to offer a common product, reducing those choices while still providing reliable, affordable clean energy in the two states

There are four non-profit entities involved in the collaboration. Mass Energy Consumers Alliance and People’s Power & Light were already working together to offer their clean energy product, called New England GreenStartsm, in both Massachusetts Electric and Narragansett Electric territory. Similarly, Conservation Services Group (CSG) and the Center for Ecological Technology (CET) together offered GreenerWatts New England in Massachusetts, while CSG also offered GreenerWatts Rhode Island. The four organizations will now provide a single clean energy offering to residential and small commercial customers under the New England GreenStartsm name. Current GreenerWatts New England customers will be notified of the change and automatically transferred to New England GreenStartsm.

The change allows each organization to play to its strengths. CSG will concentrate on the wholesale market for solar electricity and will build new solar photovoltaic (PV) plants throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island through its Sun Power Electric division. CET will focus on marketing New England GreenStartsm in western Massachusetts and helping to secure new renewable energy sources from that region.

Mass Energy Consumers Alliance and People’s Power & Light will continue to provide overall administration and management of New England GreenStartsm as well as oversee the development of the marketing and outreach campaign to support the retail green power market.