HomeMy WebLinkAboutORPC Overview Emission-Free Electricity from the World's Rivers and Seas - Aug 2008 - REF Grant 2195437r
ORPC
Ocean Renewable
Power Company
ORPC OVERVIEW
Ocean Renewable Power Company, LLC
2 Portland Fish Pier, Suite 307
Portland, ME 04102
Phone: (207) 772-7707
Fax: (207) 772-7708
ORPC Overview
August 2008 ORPC
Ocean Renewable Power Company, LLC (ORPC) was founded in 2004 for the
purpose of generating reliable, competitive, emission -free electricity from the
virtually unlimited energy resources of the world's rivers and seas. ORPC is both
a technology and a project development company. ORPC will deploy its
technology in environmentally superior, financially successful tidal, river and
deep water ocean current electric generation projects in the U.S. and abroad.
ORPC Proprietary Technology: ORPC has completed the technical design
and filed patent applications on its proprietary modular ocean current generation
(OCGenTM) technology. OCGenTM technology converts the kinetic energy in river,
tidal and deep water ocean currents into emission -free electricity. The core
component of the OCGenTM technology is ORPC's proprietary turbine -generator
unit (TGU), which utilizes advanced design cross -flow (ADCF) turbines to drive a
permanent magnet generator located between the turbines and mounted on the
same shaft (Exhibit 1). ORPC has developed TGU designs for generating power
from river, tidal and deep water ocean currents.
Exhibit 1: Turbine -Generator Unit (TGU)
Varies with application - 36 to 107 Feet Typical Varies - 7 to 12
Feet Typical
ORPC Proprietary Permanent ORPC Proprietary Advanced
Magnet Underwater Generator Cross Flow (ADCF) TurbinesUD
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$'71 Incoming Outgoing��
—_ _ o F (Flood) (Ebb) +1
Current Current .
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TGU Modular Structural Frame
FrontBack Elevation Side Elevation
In April 2008, ORPC successfully completed initial testing of a prototype TGU at
ORPC's Cobscook Bay and Western Passage tidal sites near Eastport, Maine
The prototype TGU demonstration project proved the technical viability and end -
to -end performance of the TGU design and components in actual tidal currents.
The TGU was deployed 30 feet below a barge using a swing -arm assembly
(Exhibit 2) and then tested under various current flow conditions. The TGU self -
started at current speeds under 2 knots, generated electricity continuously and in
direct proportion to current speeds and did not stop generating until current
speeds fell below 1 knot in reversing (flood and ebb) currents. The peak
electrical output (at 3-phase equivalent power) adjusted for a 6-knot current
scaled to approximately 22 kilowatts, in the expected range of 15 to 25 kilowatts.
Exhibit 2: Prototype TGU Deployment
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ORPC Overview
August 2008 ORPC
Power Comenr
ORPC plans extensive testing of the commercial design of the TGU in the
summer and fall of 2009. By the end of 2009, the TGU will be ready for
commercial installations in run -of -river and shallow tidal energy sites, as shown
in Exhibit 3 below.
Exhibit 3: River TGU Configuration & Deployment Option
OCGenTm Run -of -River TGU Configuration
Stacked TGU River Deployment Option
OCGenTM modules are "stacked" configurations of the TGU that are combined
with modular ballast/buoyancy and power electronic components to create a
significant underwater power generation platform for tidal and deep water ocean
current applications. OCGenTM module configurations can be adapted to fit a
variety of site conditions. Each OCGenTM module configuration (Exhibit 4) will
have a generating capacity of 1 megawatt (MW) in a 6-knot tidal current.
Exhibit 4: Tidal OCGenTM Module Configurations and Deployment Options
OCGenTm Tidal Module Configurations
1 MW Peak Generating Capacity in a 6-Knot Current
Horizontal (W) Configuration
Vertical (4xl) Configuration
Tidal Deployment Options
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,w ;qORPC Overview
August 2008 ORPC
ORPC Project Development: ORPC is developing tidal energy projects in three
of America's most robust tidal energy resources: Western Passage (Exhibit 5)
and Cobscook Bay, Maine and Cook Inlet, Alaska. ORPC has obtained
Preliminary Permits from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
and is in the process of obtaining Pilot Project Licenses for all 3 sites.
Exhibit 5: ORPC's Western Passage, ME Tidal Energy Site
ORPC is also developing run -of -river sites in Alaska and northern New England
and has applied for a FERC Preliminary Permit for its Tanana River site near
Nenana, AK. ORPC is committed to working on a collaborative basis with local
communities and other key stakeholders in all of its project development efforts.
ORPC Competitive Advantages: OCGenTM technology has important
competitive advantages over other technologies that are being developed for
generating electricity from tidal currents. These advantages include:
Lower cost to build, install and maintain
Simple, robust power train with no gears
Reduced "wear and tear," noise, and vibration
No interference with shipping or boating
No visibility (view shed) issues
Lower potential for impact on sea life
No equipment repositioning needed in reversing (tidal) currents
TGU with low vertical profile
Numerous "stackable" configurations
Social, Economic and Environmental Benefits: Significant social, economic
and environmental benefits will result from successful development ORPC's
OCGenTM technology and deployment of OCGenTM tidal, river and deep water
ocean current projects in the U.S. and throughout the world. This renewable
energy technology:
creates a significant new supply of emission -free electricity;
emits no greenhouse gases (or gases of any kind) and no liquids;
is deployed well below the surface of the rivers and ocean, therefore having
no visibility ("view shed") impacts;
has minimal impact on marine life and the ocean bottom;
provides quality jobs and other substantial economic benefits.
OCGenTM technology has the potential to be the most environmentally benign
method of generating electricity and will be a major contributor of emission -free
renewable electric power to grid -connected metropolitan areas and remote
coastal and island communities worldwide. It is also a potential source of energy
for offshore production of hydrogen and potable water.
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