Energy

The Department of Energy declared that by the year 2035, all American power plants will produce zero CO2 emissions. In other words, all power plants will be required to run entirely on renewable energy by that date. That leaves us with two options as a town, the first of which is to simply deny this reality and continue on our regular trajectory, the result of which will inevitably be catastrophic for our town. Alternatively, we can plan for the future and set ourselves up perfectly to reap the benefits of this country-wide transition while maintaining our energy independence. 

Even when you put the existential threat of climate change to the side for a moment, it’s definitively in Wallingford’s best interest to upgrade and update how we produce our own energy. When you look at Connecticut’s two largest electric utilities, Eversource and United Illuminating, it should come as no surprise that we as a state have some of the highest energy costs in the country; not only do these companies have financial structures that benefit their corporate executives at the expense of their consumers, but far more significantly they are overly reliant on electricity generated from fossil fuels. Whereas utilities across the country have diversified their generation sources over the last couple decades, our state as a whole has not, making us all the more vulnerable to fossil fuel price hikes. The only way to protect ourselves is to protect our Electric Division at all costs, while also making a conscious effort to diversify how we generate our electricity over time.

Wallingford was one of the first Connecticut towns to establish our own electric utility in 1899, and it is time once again for us to lead from the front. Our Electric Division is what allows us to offer one of the cheapest electric rates in all of Connecticut. This incentivizes industry-leading businesses to move operations into town, as well as provides affordable utility bills for all of our residents. As the market continues to move towards favoring renewable energies, accelerated by the Federal Government’s plans and global fuel price trends, we need to start positioning ourselves today to not just weather this transition, but rather capitalize on it. We are already home to remarkable companies like Ulbrich, which has an impressive Solar Technologies Division. By partnering with our very own local businesses, we can work alongside trusted names and spur a localized economic boom that stimulates the economy of today while preparing us for the society of tomorrow. The incentives are already there to be taken advantage of, with the massive private solar installation at the old dump serving as proof and yet another missed opportunity for our town.

Of course this transition will not happen over night; it will take decades to administer responsibly, but we need to start planning for the future today. This means contracting a professional grant writer so for the first time in years so we can finally take advantage of the plethora of federal and state grants for renewable energy and electric grid upgrades. We should start by putting solar panels where they already make economic sense, like on the rooftops of our schools where they would have unobstructed exposure to the sun. This also mostly avoids the intermittency problem associated with solar power because school buildings are primarily being used during the day.

Lastly, perhaps the greatest threat to the longevity of our Electric Division is our hiring practices, yet another example of the current administration lacking a long-term plan. Our Electric Division, and for what it’s worth other critical departments such as Public Works, Water, and Sewer, have been operating at or below minimum staffing for years. Large percentages of these workforces are already past retirement age because we have not been able to attract new employees. It’s nothing new that working for Wallingford Electric pays significantly less than comparable positions at Eversource or UI, but we used to compensate for that with decent benefits and the opportunity to live in Wallingford. As tax rates in Wallingford have consistently increased over the last two decades however, the administration has simultaneously disposed of traditional pension options for new employees (after decades of mismanagement of the pension funds). As a result, all the young talent we used to attract from the likes of Wilcox Tech are choosing to go elsewhere.

We cannot afford for hiring at the Electric Division to be reactive rather than proactive because many of these careers require multi-year apprenticeships before these new hires can take on full employment. If we reach a point where we are no longer able to staff the division enough to keep our power on, private electric companies will swoop in overnight. When that happens residents can expect an exponential increase in the rates for a fraction of the quality of service. We’ve seen this exact scenario play out in mismanaged towns and cities across New England already, and we are currently teetering dangerously close to that edge.

At the end of the day, if we do not plan for the future, then we all but guarantee that our Electric Division will not endure this transition, and we risk losing our greatest economic strength in affordable power. We need to do everything in our power to prevent that from happening. Fortunately, with some advanced planing and negotiating by a mayor with an eye to the future, we would be well positioned to take full advantage of this challenging but exciting next step.