October 9, 2024
Proteus Marine Renewables, a leader in marine renewable energy solutions, has been selected by Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) to join the prestigious team for the American Tidal Energy Project, funded in part by U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office. The project will deploy tidal energy devices in Alaska’s Cook Inlet which “contains some of the largest tidal energy resources of any region on Earth (including about one-third of the United States’ total tidal power),”[*1] according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Earlier this year, the Water Power Technologies Office announced a total of $6 million in funding for a first phase of two marine energy projects, allocating $3 million to the American Tidal Energy Project to comprehensively evaluate ORPC’s FERC preliminary permitted Cook Inlet site, including environmental monitoring, licensing, safety, stakeholder engagement, community benefits and site commercialization considerations.
Proteus Marine Renewables, recognized globally for its expertise in marine energy technologies, will collaborate with team members including the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) and Tidal Energy Corp (TEC) to contribute to the technology selection and qualification process. Following the completion of phase one for the two funded projects, the Water Power Technologies Office will select one to receive up to $29 million for further development and operation of tidal energy devices.
"This is a welcome milestone for Proteus and for the future of tidal energy," said Tom Hutchinson, Director of Products & Services at Proteus Marine Renewables. “Cook Inlet holds immense potential, and the American Tidal Energy Project will demonstrate how tidal energy can become a reliable source of clean, sustainable power for coastal communities. We’re excited to collaborate with ORPC, EMEC, and Tidal Energy Corp to bring this vision to life and contribute to the global transition to renewable energy."
*1 https://www.nrel.gov/news/program/2024/tidal-energy-is-coming-to-alaska-but-how-much.html