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Connecticut
Every day, 3.6 million people in Connecticut rely on the energy grid to power our modern way of life. Thanks to a network of transmission lines that carry energy from where it’s generated to where it’s used, we’re able to heat and cool our homes, keep the lights on at our businesses, get online for work and school, and even charge our vehicles — and we rarely think twice about it. Until the power goes out. Unfortunately, many of America’s transmission lines were built in the 1950s and 1960s and were only intended to have a 50-year lifespan. We’re way overdue for an upgrade.
Strengthening Connecticut’s existing transmission infrastructure and coordinating grid resources with the rest of New England will ensure we can all enjoy reliable energy while also bringing thousands of new living-wage jobs to the state, lowering energy costs, and accelerating the clean energy transition.
Transmission Means Jobs
Thousands Of Living-Wage, Clean Energy Jobs
By some estimates, the U.S. needs to build as many as 91,000 miles of new transmission lines in the next 13 years — which means new high-paying jobs across the country. Already Connecticut is experiencing the biggest year-over-year increase in clean energy jobs we’ve ever seen, with the industry growing 21% since 2017. Additional investments in transmission could create as many as 12,358 good-paying jobs in the next 30 years.
Transmission Means Lower Costs
Electricity Savings For Homes And Businesses
Expanding transmission infrastructure across the eastern US will allow households to tap into low-cost wind and solar energy and could potentially cut the average home electricity bill by one-third. That means the typical American household would save $300 every year on utility costs. All in all, that adds up to $600 million in savings annually across New England.
Transmission Means The Lights Stay On
Keeping The Power On When Extreme Temperatures Strike
The average annual temperature in Connecticut has increased 5% since 1960, and climate change models indicate that New England is one of the fastest-warming regions in the world. With extreme temperatures becoming more common, more people will take shelter indoors and crank up the thermostat — and that means we’ll need a grid that can keep up with demand to keep homes and businesses cool. Improving the state’s existing transmission infrastructure and building more lines will help grid operators meet energy demand and avoid the risk of blackouts when winter temperatures plunge and summer temperatures soar.
Transmission Means A Cleaner Economy
Transmission Is The Missing Link To Our 100% Clean Energy Goals
Connecticut has ambitious plans to transition its energy sector to 100% carbon-free by 2040. And yet, as of 2021, clean energy sources supplied just 5% of the state’s total energy demand — the majority of Connecticut’s power still comes from natural gas. Fortunately, with abundant offshore wind along the Long Island South shoreline and off the coasts of Bridgeport and New London, the state could soon have what we need to reach our goals. In order to take advantage of all the new clean energy coming online, we need to develop more transmission capacity to move that wind power from the coasts where it’s generated to all the places where we live, work, and play. Transmission is the key to a clean energy future.
Plus: Get More From The Existing Grid With GETs
Grid-enhancing technologies, or GETs, are sophisticated hardware or software applications that increase the capacity and reliability of transmission systems. They can also help us make our energy grid 40% more efficient, so we can get more out of our existing infrastructure while we wait for new transmission lines to go up. Leaders know that charting the path toward a full transition to clean energy starts with GETs.
Policy Updates
- Connecticut’s House Bill 5406, seeks to improve grid performance and clean energy integration through grid-enhancing technologies. The bill proposes establishing a task force to study the state’s transmission infrastructure, focusing on advancements such as dynamic line rating and power flow control.