Ocean Renewable Power Company Maine LLC received a $300,000 development award from the Maine Technology Institute to support the commercial development of power from tidal energy. The award is to be used for the detailed engineering of a prototype project, testing, and eventual installation of a full-scale commercial project.
“Maine has tremendous indigenous tidal resources and the State has the leadership and foresight to understand the importance of ocean renewable technologies.” stated Chris Sauer, president & CEO of ORPC-Maine. “We want to set the example by delivering the best possible tidal projects in North America.”
The project will use proprietary Ocean Current Generation (OCGen”) technology being developed by ORPC Maine and initially will be deployed in Western Passage and Cobscook Bay. ORPC Maine has applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for Preliminary Permits for the sites. ORPC Maine plans to begin building and installing a full scale prototype OCGen” module in Western Passage in late-2008 and, upon successful testing and monitoring, develop, permit and build commercial scale OCGen” projects at the sites.
MTI was created by the Legislature in 1999 to encourage, promote, stimulate and support research and development activity leading to the commercialization of new products and services in the state’s technology-intensive industrial sectors. Programs are designed to enhance the competitive position of those sectors and increase the likelihood that one or more of the sectors will support clusters of industrial activity and create new jobs. www.mainetechnology.org
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