ORPC launches Alaska tidal project
Portland-based tidal energy company Ocean Renewable Power Co. is collaborating with an electricity association to bring tidal power to Alaska.
ORPC and Homer Electric Association are launching a pilot project that will study the feasibility of installing a tidal turbine generator in Cook Inlet on the Kenai Peninsula, according to a press release from the company. ORPC recently secured a preliminary permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to conduct field studies this year and in 2012 before seeking a license for a pilot turbine generator. The pilot project could eventually produce up to 5 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power about 2,300 homes. ORPC will provide the technology and development expertise to HEA, which maintains the electricity grid. ORPC hopes to install one or more 150-kilowatt test turbines as early as 2013.
The project will help reduce the region's dependence on natural gas and could provide new jobs, according to the release.
ORPC is currently developing its tidal turbine technology in Cobscook Bay near Eastport. The company last year successfully tested a beta version of its TidGen Power System and plans to install the first grid-connected generator this fall. The company has other projects in Nova Scotia and Alaska.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments