$3.6M grant will help turn river current into electric current

Courtesy / ORPC Inc. ORPC staff work onsite at the RivGen installation in Igiugig, Alaska.

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By Staff

ORPC Inc., a marine renewable energy business based in Portland, will receive $3.6 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a device that converts energy from river currents into electric currents.

The grant, through the DOE Water Power Technologies Office, will fund the building, testing and operation of a modular current energy converter, according to a news release Tuesday. The work will expand earlier development ORPC began in 2019 with a $350,000 DOE grant.

Modular current energy converters ultimately could allow renewable energy production from river flow without the use of large infrastructure or specialized tools.

“Current energy conversion systems offer immense potential in Maine, where our rivers are great in number and great in strength,” U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine 1st District, said in the release. “As a member of the House Appropriations Committee and a longtime advocate for funding for this program, I’m proud this large grant is coming to Ocean Renewable Power Co. at a critical moment.”

ORPC, founded in 2004 as Ocean Renewable Power Co., develops underwater systems that produce renewable energy by harnessing river and tidal currents. The systems are geared for local power production in communities where fossil-fueled electricity generation is difficult or expensive.

The company unveiled its first river-based system for commercial use in 2019, and today operates it in Igiugig, Alaska. ORPC is working on tidal projects in False Pass, Alaska, and in Eastport. The company also has an operations center in Eastport and Lubec.

The company’s CEO, Stuart Davies, said in Tuesday's release, “ORPC is thrilled with today’s announcement from DOE. Advancing this technology platform is aligned with our company’s aggressive goals to develop cost effective solutions that will enable broad market adoption.

"In addition to bolstering our strong partnerships within the state of Maine, we look forward to identifying opportunities to deploy this technology across the U.S. and abroad.”