ORPC Solutions, a subsidiary of Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC), is to provide project management and services to Resolute Marine Energy’s (RME) Yakutat Wave Energy Project in Alaska.
Located on the Gulf of Alaska 200 miles northwest of Juneau, Yakutat has one of the strongest wave resources in the world, says ORPC.
Starting in 2015, Boston-based RME plans install its SurgeWECTM wave energy convertors at an ocean site close to the existing Yakutat Power municipal power grid.
In a presentation about the project, RME said 10-15 SurgeWEC devices with 50 kW nameplate rating would be used in an array design, with a total project size of 500-750 kW.
SurgeWEC pumps seawater to on shore turbine/generator.
Yakutat is a remote community with 650 inhabitants 100% dependent on diesel generators for power. Diesel has to be shipped by barge from Washington state, 1000 miles away.
RME has a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission preliminary permit for the site at Yakutat, and is now working with regulatory agencies to submit a formal license application to the commission.
ORPC Solutions, based in Portland, Maine, will assist RME by providing project management and regulatory affairs services utilizing personnel from ORPC’s Anchorage, Alaska and Portland, Maine offices.
The Yakutat Wave Energy Project is a collaborative effort of RME, ORPC, the City and Borough of Yakutat, the Alaska Energy Authority, Alaska Center for Energy and Power at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and many other state and federal agencies.