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    Connecticut residents will see an increase in renewable energy as costs for wind and solar continue to drop.

    Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced that developers of a 250-megawatt wind power plant in Maine and a 20-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant in Connecticut itself had signed long-term deals to provide electricity to Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating. Malloy said the price for the energy will average less than 8 cents per kilowatt-hour. For the Northeast U.S., that's quite competitive with conventional power, even before you add in the cost benefits of not generating carbon dioxide and other harmful emissions.

    "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 in a statement. "This is the most significant step Connecticut has ever taken to harness the power of clean energy, and this announcement is truly a historic moment in Connecticut's energy history."

    The projects will benefit from tax breaks given to renewable energy projects, but of course fossil fuels have benefited from a long history of government support.

    The state gave these details on the two projects, which are expected to be operational by 2017. Plans are in place for:

    • Number Nine Wind Farm, a 250-megawatt land-based wind farm to be located in Aroostook County, Maine. EDP Renewables North America LLC, an international leader in large-scale wind installations, is the project developer.
    • Fusion Solar Center, a 20-megawatt solar photovoltaic system to be located in Sprague and Lisbon, CT on land primarily owned by the Connecticut-based Fusion Paperboard Company. The project developer is HelioSage Energy, known nationally for its solar expertise.

    Connecticut is upping the amount of renewable energy being used in the state through a clean energy procurement process in which projects compete to offer the best price, along with viability and reliability. The two projects just announced were selected from among 47 that responded to a request for proposals put out earlier this year.

    The state said the two projects selected "will provide 3.5 percent of Connecticut's total energy load, which represents almost one-fifth of the RPS goal (20 percent by 2020)."