For the first time, power from the ocean is making its way onto a U.S. grid.
Ocean Renewable Power Company said Thursday that Bangor Hydro Electric Company had confirmed that electricity was flowing from ORPC's Cobscook Bay Tidal Project in Maine.
"This is the first power from any ocean energy project including offshore wind, wave and tidal, to be delivered to an electric utility grid in the United States, and it is the only ocean energy project, other than one using a dam, that delivers power to a utility grid anywhere in North, Central and South America," ORPC said.
Indeed, it was the milestone nature of the tidal power project that made it significant, not the actual power being delivered. At peak output, the TidGen converter puts out 180 kilowatts. Over the course of a year, with production rising and falling with the tides, it is expected to generate enough electricity to meet the needs of 25 to 30 homes.
"This historic moment elevates the U.S. to the world stage," ORPC President and CEO Chris Sauer said in a statement. "We are now ready to bring our tidal energy power systems and expertise to the international market."
<snip>
http://www.tgdaily.com/sustainability-features/66171-ocean-energy-flows-to-us-grid-for-first-time
= new reply since forum marked as read
