Institute Funds Tidal Current Energy Testing
The Maine Technology Institute awarded an additional $200,000 to ORPC Maine, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ocean Renewable Power Company, LLC, for commercial development of its technology to generate power from tidal currents.
More than three years in development, ORPC Maine is testing its $1-million Ocean Current Generation (OCGen™) technology demonstration project at Cobscook Bay and Western Passage near Eastport, Maine. The project involves conducting a series of tests of a prototype turbine-generator unit. Data from these tests will be used to complete the commercial design of the unit over the next year.
Joe Migliaccio, manager of the institute's Business Innovations Programs, explained that ORPC built on a previous MTI Development Award to win the new one to help move the project further along the path to commercialization and potential economic benefit for Washington County and beyond.
"With MTI's support, we will continue our aggressive development path towards commercialization of our technology and projects that will provide clean, emission-free electricity to the entire region," stated Chris Sauer, president and chief executive officer of ORPC Maine. "Maine has tremendous natural tidal energy resources, and the state has the foresight to encourage the development of ocean renewable technologies."
Ocean Renewable Power Company anticipates securing additional private capital during the summer of 2008, followed by testing the commercial design of the unit in the spring of 2009.
Ocean Renewable Power Company, LLC was founded in 2004 for the purpose of generating reliable, competitive, emission-free electricity from the virtually unlimited energy resources of the oceans.