Ocean Renewable Power Company LLC of Tampa, Fla., will demonstrate the energy potential of tidal currents today by submerging a $1 million turbine-generator unit off of Eastport.
Ocean Renewable will test the prototype for at least seven days, anticipating it could create as much as 15 to 25 kilowatts of power in a 6-knot current. At 5,000 pounds, the prototype is about one-third the size of an actual commercial unit, the Bangor Daily News reports.
The company also has a site in Alaska and is seeking between $12 million and $20 million in venture capital to build and install full-scale modules at its sites.