ORPC wins national hydropower award for river-power generator technology
Courtesy / Ocean Renewable Power Co.
Portland-based Ocean Renewable Power Co.'s RivGen power turbine is shown prior to be lowered into the Kvichak River at the remote Alaskan village of Igiugig last August.
The National Hydropower Association has awarded Ocean Renewable Power Co. the 2016 Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters Award in the category of Operational Excellence for its RivGen Power System energy project in the remote Alaskan village of Igiugig.
ORPC’s RivGen system is a submersible, hydrokinetic energy system designed for use in rivers and tidal estuaries.
As Mainebiz reported in March, in the two years of its pilot project in the Kvichak River at Igiugig, ORPC's river-power generator displaced the community's use of diesel fuel for electricity generation by one third. The deployment of the 25-kilowatt RivGen system in the Alaskan village, which is located 275 miles southwest of Anchorage, was seen as a test of its ability to reduce and stabilize the cost of power in remote communities near rivers and tidal estuaries that currently use diesel fuel for power generation.
The cost of generating electricity in Igiugig is nearly $0.80/kWh (the national average is $0.10/kWh) due to the community's remoteness and its reliance on diesel. Located in the Bristol Bay region of southwestern Alaska, Igiugig and the Kvichak River are accessible only by boat and plane and are home to the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the world.
“NHA is pleased to present ORPC with [this award] — the first marine energy company to receive this distinction,” Linda Church Ciocci, the executive director of the NHA, said in a statement. “Remote communities like the Alaskan Village of Igiugig often have to rely on fossil fuels like diesel to generate electricity. ORPC’s RivGen Power System is working to be a clean, innovative and affordable energy option for communities worldwide. As the marine energy sector moves forward, it is projects like [this] that are leading the way.”
Read more
Ocean Renewable Power Co. calls Alaskan pilot project a 'huge success'
ORPC lands grant to advance its river-power generator technology
Portland hydropower firm awarded $5.3M for tidal-power generator
Portland hydropower firm kicks-off 3.2M euro hydrokinetic program
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments