The Block Island Utility District Board of Commissioners, which governs the Block Island Power Company, covered a broad range of topics at its meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 3 before scuttling the remainder of the agenda after three and-a-half hours of discussion. There was the somewhat mundane business of approving minutes, a treasurer’s report, and review of an audit proposal before getting down to the business of capital improvements and the consideration of both an energy efficiency plan and a new net metering policy.
One of the goals of BIPCo President Jeffery Wright is to convert the antiquated voltage system from a “delta” to a “wye,” which will allow the power company to move more power through its lines.
Wright and crew proved it could be done. This fall BIPCo replaced 30 poles on the New Harbor circuit and took the opportunity to rebuild the line to the new wye system, with little disruption to customers. The success of this conversion has led Wright to believe that the timeframe for total conversion could be pushed up considerably, perhaps as “soon as next fall.”
There are two other major capital improvements
