The Power of Power

My work on the Board of the Connecticut Energy Council-for Teachers (CONNECT) involves educating teachers about sources of energy so children can learn about how to use resources wisely. I also live in Branford.

Where I live and how I work makes me very concerned about Islander East's proposal to build a natural gas pipeline through Branford to Long Island. If built, the pipeline would follow the Tilcon Railway and cross Branford Land Trust properties, inland wetlands and the Nature Trail between Pine Orchard and Stony Creek, then go through shellfish beds to cross Long Island Sound. Its construction, drilling, dredging, and laying pipe will destroy the natural beauty of a coastal Connecticut town, significantly disturb the marine ecosystem, and permanently damage shellfish beds (a significant part of the CT economy). The worst part is that the pipeline will only serve the energy needs of Long Island, not Connecticut.

Through my work on the Connecticut Energy Council for Teachers, I help educators learn about nonrenewable fossil fuel sources like oil, coal, and gas. These are all of limited supply and can not be replenished. I also help them learn more about renewable energy sources like wind, solar, landfill gas, biomass, and hydroelectric. These sources will replenish quickly and at the very most, within a human lifetime.

What is clear is that if we learn how to use energy more wisely, and teach our children to do the same, there will not be a need for us to even consider whether a pipeline should go across our land and water. The need for more energy would not exist.

Here in Connecticut, most of us are not aware that we have options. The individual electricity consumer can change their electricity supplier to one that uses renewable sources of energy. CL&P would still carry the electricity homes; the electricity itself would be produced by a different supplier.

The list of companies proposing crossing Long Island Sound with gas pipelines and electric cables is growing. For those of us that care deeply for the Sound and the land that surrounds it, these proposals are scary, frustrating, infuriating, and disenfranchising. Five thousand five hundred - seventy seven concerned citizens and Menunkatuck Audubon members signed petitions opposing the gas pipeline proposed by Islander East. This show of solidarity and commitment to preserving our natural resources as well as our own energy supply has made an enormous difference in garnering support from local and state officials. So while officials, intervenors, and lawyers do their best to stop these cross Sound proposals many of us are left wondering what we can do besides wait for the other shoe to drop.

SuZanne Botta, President, Menunkatuck Audubon Society

The quality of the electricity is unaffected by the change in energy source. The Connecticut Energy Co-op (www. ctco-op.com or call 1-888-481-3955) offers a 100 percent renewable energy based electricity option called "Eco-Watt." This product consists of 67 percent small-scale hydropower, 28 percent landfill gases (methane), and 5 percent wind from upstate New York. The cost of this is only slightly higher than the current rate for energy produced by nonrenewable fossil fuels. The rate would increase by one cent per kilowatt-hour (kwh) from 5.5 cents to 6.5 cents per kwh or approximately $4 per month for the average consumer.

An even cleaner alternative is to install solar panels on homes. In this way, homes produce their own energy. The upfront cost for solar panels can range from $5,000 to $30,000 depending on the size of the array. However, since it is not necessary to pay a power company, the solar panels eventually pay for themselves.

An added benefit is that any surplus energy produced by the home can be sold for profit to homeowners and to the power companies. Thus, a homeowner can eventually make money from the panels.

"The only way to bring down the current cost of solar energy," reported Larry Union, CEO of the Connecticut Energy Co-op; "is for (more) consumers to choose it as their power source."

Another choice all consumers can make is the implementation of energy efficient appliances and other devices. The average incandescent bulb has not changed much since Thomas Edison - it uses only 10 percent of its energy to produce light, and the other 90 percent is wasted as heat.

Consumers can switch from regular light bulbs to Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) and save not only energy but money too - over $50 per bulb over its lifetime. Although CFLs cost more initially, they last 10 times longer and use 60 percent less energy than a standard incandescent bulb. The quality of light is warm like an incandescent bulb not cold like traditional fluorescent light. Dimmable CFLs are also available. Also, when purchasing new appliances (refrigerators, VCRs, etc) consumers can look for the Energy Star logo. These appliances must meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for efficiency.

Consumer choice is a powerful force. Each person plays an important role in shifting market trends with each decision made. If even half the people who read this article switch to the "Eco-Watt" program, the amount of nonrenewable fossil fuel used in Connecticut could be substantially reduced. And if only two or three people switch to solar panels, a new energy source will gain momentum and make it easier and cheaper for others to follow.

Why are we still using technology that was developed years ago? We should move forward. We need to each do our part to lessen our reliance on fossil fuels. We need to conserve energy and use renewable sources whenever we can. The proposed pipeline might not be needed if adequate energy conservation and use of renewable energy sources is in place on Long Island.

We can start by using our consumer power here in Connecticut to make a shift in the energy market. Each of us has the power to tell our own energy company what we want - more renewable energy sources for our electricity. Then in five years, we will not have to fight a new pipeline in yet another beautiful Connecticut coastline town.

Chris Sullivan, Connecticut Energy Council for Teachers