Rockland nonprofit launches toolkit to aid transition to electric marine propulsion
Photo / Courtesy Island Institute
Brooklin boatbuilder Hylan & Brown in Brooklin is developing electrification projets, such as this ePropulsion outboard.
Electric boat propulsion is gaining currency in Maine.
In recent years, Maine Electric Boat in Biddeford has installed more than a dozen electric propulsion systems on sailboats and powerboats; Maine Ocean Farms in Freeport commissioned a custom-built electric workboat; Pendleton Yacht Yard in Islesboro unveiled an electric boat; and Temo, a French manufacturer of electric outboard motors for boats, launched U.S. operations with a sales office in Portland and warehouse space in Scarborough.
Hylan & Brown in Brooklin has a number of electric boat projects in the pipeline, including a Nova Scotia fishing craft conceived with electric power in mind and a wooden launch that was restored and fitted with electric propulsion, according to its website.
Now the Island Institute, a Rockland nonprofit, is looking to charge up that current with the launch of an online electric boat toolkit to help marine business and coastal municipalities transition to electric marine propulsion and away from traditional diesel or gas motors.
Working across sectors
“We’re setting the table for marine electrification in Maine by working across sectors — from local fishermen and aquaculturists to state, national and global partners in government, industry and nonprofit organizations,” said Lia Morris, senior community development officer at the Island Institute.
The toolkit offers information and guidance. That includes tips on grants and fixed loan options, such as Island Institute’s Spark! Grants, which fund working waterfront energy projects aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing fossil fuel consumption.
There are links to webinars, literature and the Electric Boat Course — a collaboration between the Island Institute, Kennebec Valley Community College, Mid-Coast School of Technology, Maine Electric Boat Co. and Bayside Marine — designed to provide knowledge and hands-on training in electric boat motor maintenance and repair.
Case studies highlight implementations and use cases of electric propulsion in Maine's marine sector, with the goal of demonstrating the viability and benefits of adopting the technology.
Removing barriers
The toolkit is made possible with support from the Builders Initiative, state of Maine, Maine Technology Institute and Jane’s Trust Foundation.
It builds on the Island Institute’s efforts to enhance the resilience of Maine’s marine economy in the face of climate and economic challenges, according to a news release.
The toolkit “is just one way Island Institute is removing barriers to adopting this technology, which offers economic and environmental benefits for the people who work on the water and depend on healthy oceans for their livelihoods,” said Morris.
The institute said it has made electric boat adoption a priority for Maine’s working waterfront, as a way to drive the marine economy toward a cleaner, more sustainable future less dependent on costly fossil fuels.
It touts marine electrification as a way to stabilize operating costs for businesses and municipalities, create and sustain jobs, and strengthen Maine’s marine economy while protecting ocean resource by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The effort includes the institute’s goal to increase demand for electric boats, promote charging infrastructure development, collect use case data and invest in workforce training.
To date, the institute has supported the adoption of electric propulsion systems in 28 boats, including retrofits and new builds.
For more information, click here.
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