Connecticut’s solar ambitions hit skepticism from a major utility

Connecticut is trying to clean up its grid with more solar energy. But a major utility’s reluctance to commit to buying power from some projects is raising questions about the prospects for success.

Connecticut last month announced plans to secure 63.4 megawatts of new solar capacity from arrays to be built in New Hampshire and Maine, a move that the state says will help meet growing energy demand while lowering both greenhouse gas emissions and prices. First though, the developers have to negotiate with utilities and finalize the deal.

And that finalization isn’t always a sure thing: This latest procurement announcement comes as Eversource, the largest electric utility in Connecticut, continues to put off signing contracts for 54 MW of solar projects selected in a previous procurement in December 2025. In March, the utility sent a letter to state regulators saying that it would not enter into these agreements at that time, citing ​“over-market” prices and pointing to ​“unresolved decisions” in the state’s energy policy. Essentially, Eversource argued that it doesn’t want to pass too much cost on to customers when it feels the future of the state’s renewable energy plans is unclear.

With those deals still pending and Eversource’s concerns on the record, it remains unclear whether the utility will come to terms with the newly selected solar projects.

“There’s definitely still some concern about the willingness of the counterparties to sign the contract,” said Francis Pullaro, president of clean-energy industry association RENEW Northeast.

United Illuminating is the other Connecticut utility expected to negotiate solar contracts, albeit for much less capacity than the larger Eversource. Negotiations between United Illuminating and the project developers selected last year are still underway.

Like most of its Northeastern neighbors, Connecticut has ambitious emissions-reduction goals, with a target of achieving 100% clean energy by 2040. Solar is expected to be a major part of the strategy.

The state has had a hard time making inroads with large-scale solar purchases. Since 2022, 71 MW of solar capacity selected in procurement processes have come online. However, a planned procurement of 518 MW of solar capacity from projects in Connecticut and Maine announced in 2024 fizzled when developers and utilities failed to reach a deal.

Eversource says it is still in discussions with the developers it rejected in March, though the utility has not committed to striking an agreement.

“We have made steady progress,” said Eversource spokesperson Tricia Modifica. ​“We’ll move forward with the two outstanding solar [power purchase agreements] and, if successfully finalized, will file” them with state regulators.

As outlined in Eversource’s letter, the utility is concerned about committing to the cost of the solar projects at a time when energy affordability is top of mind for many customers. It also claims that Connecticut has failed to create long-term clean energy strategies comparable to those in neighboring states, like Massachusetts. Without such plans as a ​“solid foundation” for renewable energy policy, Eversource and its customers would be too exposed to the volatile fluctuations of the wholesale energy markets, the utility argues.

As the utility attempts to resolve its concerns with the state and developers, the company behind at least one of the projects is strategizing how to adapt its plan given the unsure outcome.

“We are actively developing a new path forward for the project, which is currently under review by the Connecticut Siting Council,” said Jenna Dobbins, spokesperson for Verogy, the company behind Husky Solar, a project in eastern Connecticut that was selected to provide 12.5 MW for Connecticut. ​“We anticipate a decision in the first quarter of 2027.” Connecticut was never intended to be the only customer for Husky Solar; it is also slated to provide a total of 37.5 MW of power to Maine and Massachusetts as part of a multistate procurement.

At the same time, Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has floated the idea of skipping over utility contracts entirely in future procurements, suggesting that ​“another entity” could be named as the buyer or that projects could be paid by an alternative contractual mechanism rather than a power purchase agreement.

There is some reason for optimism. Connecticut’s energy department works closely with utility regulators and utilities themselves to develop requests for proposals for renewable energy and to evaluate the bids. The state is ​“closely aligned” with utilities on their next steps, said state energy department spokesperson Bill Flood.

It seems unlikely the process on the latest round would have gotten to the selection stage if Eversource was being intransigent behind the scenes, Pullaro said. He also takes heart in the broader trend of multistate cooperation on renewable energy in New England. The 2025 procurement included four states agreeing to buy 173 MW of power from five different projects. The selection announced last month involved three states signing on for 102 MW. These collaborative efforts can send a message to investors that the region is worth spending their money on.

That same signaling ability, however, is precisely why it is important for Connecticut to make successful procurements happen, Pullaro said. 

“Developers want to go to the markets where they think they’ll be the most successful,” he said. ​“That’s why this one is so important.”