Energy firm nets award Money to fund ocean technology

EASTPORT – A Tampa, Fla., company that hopes to harness the energy-producing power of tidal and ocean currents here has received a $200,000 Development Award from the Maine Technology Institute, company officials announced Monday.

ORPC Maine LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ocean Renewable Power Co., said the award would allow the company to continue the commercial development of its technology to generate power from tidal currents and create the environmental and economic benefits of capturing renewable energy from these indigenous, carbon free, sustainable energy resources in Maine and elsewhere.

This is the second such award the company has received from MTI. Last year, the company received $300,000 that was used for the engineering of the prototype. Company officials learned of the newest award last month.

City officials said Tuesday they were pleased.

“The funding from MTI to ORPC supports our choice in technology for the pursuit of alternative energy,” City Manager George “Bud” Finch said. “The partnership we have with ORPC puts us on the cutting edge of the technologies for alternative power from the tides, a choice which could one day lead us to a level of self-sufficiency in our local energy supply.”

Finch said ORPC recently renewed its lease with the city for office space at the former IGA building and for space at the Boat School where much of the building of the unit was done last year.

More than three years in development, ORPC is currently in the testing phase of its $1 million Ocean Current Generation technology demonstration project at its Cobscook Bay and Western Passage sites near Eastport.

Last year, ORPC launched “Energy Tide 1,” a barge retrofitted to accommodate the turbine-generator unit testing assembly, and began a series of preliminary tests to help determine design capabilities, efficiency and performance of the prototype turbine-generator unit.

The $1 million prototype is about one-third the size of a full-scale commercial unit.

“The innovative 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 TGU over the next year,” company officials said in a press release.

ORPC President and CEO Chris Sauer said he was pleased with MTI’s support of the project. “With MTI’s support we will continue our aggressive development path,” he said in the release. “Maine has tremendous natural tidal energy resources, and the state has the foresight to encourage the development of ocean renewable technologies.”

The company hopes to raise between $12 million and $20 million in venture capital to build and install full-scale Ocean Current Generation modules at its sites. The company anticipates securing additional private capital this summer.

The modules would use two to four turbine-generator units and would include extensive monitoring equipment to assess potential impact on the marine environment.

Energy generated by the turbine eventually will be sold to the New England power grid.

The company also plans to market its units worldwide.