UMaine Tidal Power Research Part Of $10 Million Grant

Gov. John Baldacci announced the Department of Energy has awarded Ocean Renewable Power Co. a $10 million grant to fund a commercial-scale tidal energy development project in Cobscook Bay near Eastport, according to Smart Energy News. As a partner in the project, UMaine researchers are supervising the program, which incorporates state-of-the-art visual and acoustic monitoring technology. Portland-based OPRC announced August 18 that its Beta Power System, the largest ocean energy “power plant” ever installed in U.S. waters, had successfully generated grid-compatible power from tidal currents at the Eastport site.