ORPC Ireland hydrokinetic project moves forward

ORPC Ireland Ltd., a subsidiary of Portland-based Ocean Renewable Power Co., has been selected to enter the grant agreement stage of a project that will increase the performance and reliability of transferring energy from its renewable marine energy technology to the electric grid.
ORPC Ireland’s request was one of 78 proposals submitted to Horizon 2020, the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, according to a release from ORPC.
“The whole ocean energy industry deeply appreciates Horizon 2020’s critical support and ORPC, in particular, is thrilled to receive such a strong endorsement of our technology,” ORPC President and CEO Chris Sauer said in a statement.
As Mainebiz reported in May 2015, the company opened ORPC Ireland Ltd. after months of discussions with Irish officials who visited Maine several times to learn first-hand about ORPC’s Cobscook Bay pilot ocean energy project in Eastport, which made history in 2012 when it became the first hydrokinetic tidal energy project to deliver electricity to a utility grid in the Americas. ORPC also installed and operated its first river power system in the remote Alaskan village of Igiugig last summer, successfully delivering power to shore.