Celebrating install of TidGen™ system mid-August 2012 at ORPC’s Cobscook Bay, Maine project site.
Photo courtesy of ORPC. Established in 2004, ORPC has made a commitment
to developing “breakthrough technology and eco-conscious projects that use ocean and river currents to produce clean, predictable electricity to power homes and businesses while protecting the environment.” Te $21 million Cobscook Bay Tidal Energy Project
serves as the first phase of the larger Maine Tidal Energy Project, involving a series of underwater cross-flow turbines that will ultimately line the ocean floor throughout the area. Te completed turbine system, which is scheduled to be built out during the next four years, is projected to supply enough power to provide electricity to an estimated 1,000-1,200 homes and businesses in Maine, the DOE reports. Starting in September, the inaugural turbine began delivering electricity to the regional power grid to generate power to nearly 100 homes. ORPC’s tidal turbine employs technology similar to a wind turbine, with rotating foils powering a central permanent magnet generator, according to the company. Once installed underwater, the generator yields “significantly more power” than a wind turbine because water is 800 times denser than air. To maximize electricity output, the turbines are
grouped together to create a comprehensive power- production system that converts ocean energy into power that can be fed into the commercial grid. Te turbines and many of their components are manufactured in the United States.
Detail view of TidGen™ TGU being prepared for installation.
“ORPC has really been a pioneer in the hydrokinetic
industry, which is not an easy task to take on,” observed Ann Miles, Deputy Director of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which licensed the project.
NEW WAVE OF OPPORTUNITY As with many landmark innovations and projects, the lifting and rigging industry played a pivotal role in transforming ORPC’s tidal energy vision into reality. Baldwin Crane and Equipment Corp., a third- generation family-owned business in Wilmington, Massachusetts, brought its expertise and machinery to two of the key phases in the installation portion of the project: the placement of the bottom support frame as well as the actual turbine generator unit for the TidGen Power System onto the ocean floor in Cobscook Bay.
22
MAY-JUNE 2013
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
Photo courtesy of ORPC.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84