ORPC to discuss $10 million project model for Eastport

Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) is looking at national and state policy shifts in renewable energy supply and storage and identifying opportunities for its own operations. As a company with ties to Eastport, where it researched and developed tidal energy models before expanding into a global company, it is eager to return to the island city for the development of a new project model with about a $10 million investment.
On Thursday, July 16, at 6 p.m. ORPC will give a Zoom presentation to the Eastport City Council and the public on what Eastport City Manager Thomas Hoskins calls the "Eastport Model: Smart Micro grid City." Hoskins identifies four potential areas of how the project could directly or indirectly benefit the city: renewable energy and sustainability, job creation, education and tourism.

Combining tidal with solar, energy storage and grid security
ORPC President John Ferland explains that a new decade is on the horizon when it comes to how electricity is generated, managed and sold. At the federal level there is increased concern about national security and the national energy grid. Maine, he notes, is increasing renewable energy standards, with net billing creating large business opportunities for solar energy installations. The state has issued a study on the benefits of energy storage, which the legislature is reviewing for guidance on policy development. "It's all about non invasive alternatives that increase the use of renewable electricity while minimizing poles and wires," he adds.
Part of the answer to the national and state focus is the creation of micro grids that operate as a part of the larger grid during normal operations but can run as self contained units if necessary. Ferland says, "We see an opportunity. We can do more with tidal energy work and knit together the different changes in policy" with the addition of solar, battery storage and smart grid systems.
As an example he points to a community ORPC is working with in Alaska on a three year project. In the first year ORPC is installing one of its RivGen tidal energy units. In the second year a smart-grid installation and a second RivGen until will be installed. The goal is to reduce the community's reliance on diesel fuel by 90%. The system allows for the ability to bring on other types of renewables like solar and wind. "There's great interest in how this approach works" to develop expertise in improving micro grids in the world markets, adds Ferland.
"It's more of a service than just a power system," Ferland explains of the company's evolution. The company would partner with other companies that have already built expertise in solar and other energy formats besides tidal. The value of the ORPC's tidal energy development "would increase" with improved storage and solar integration through smart grid controls. It's a modification of ORPC's approach, but it's in keeping with the trends and changes being seen in the state, national and global energy markets.

Model development in Eastport
The July 16 presentation will begin the conversation ORPC wants to have with the city council and the public about the possibility of developing its plan for a smart grid opportunity that could be used as a model project for other communities. The plan would not be to provide a micro grid for the needs of individual homes but rather for municipal and public entities such as town halls, schools and sewer districts. U.S. Senators Angus King and Susan Collins are co-sponsoring a funding bill for new energy storage models that Ferland describes as "a national security strategy, so there will be an appetite for project models."
Ferland envisions about a $10 million investment in Eastport with a variety of third parties involved, including investors interested in the tax benefits of power purchase agreements that come with solar energy developments and that last for about 20 years. The company wants to advance its tidal energy work in Western Passage using a permitted site off Dog Island. With that tidal energy, the company would develop an electricity storage facility and partner with the city to create a solar component that would provide energy for a municipal facility. "The solar piece is what works in the market right now," Ferland adds. "Our work in Eastport might be a way to bring all these elements together." Where exactly the solar array might be located in Eastport and which municipal building it might benefit still need to be determined and depend on the conversations held with the council and community.
Hoskins is excited about the possibilities for the city. He envisions that down the road there might be a building that could be a center for renewable energy classes and lectures for students and the public and that would also serve as a tourism draw. "ORPC's history here is pretty positive," he says. "To have them come back to work here is great."
Information about the July 16 Zoom meeting will be available on the city's website. For more information about ORPC, visit ORPC.