Maine Maritime Academy Launches Renewable Energy Project
(13 February 2007) CASTINE, Maine — Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) announced today that it is moving forward with plans to establish a world-class Tidal Energy Device Evaluation Center (TEDEC) to facilitate and accelerate the development of tidal energy as a source of clean and renewable energy. MMA submitted a formal Application for Preliminary Permit to the United States Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) on Monday, Feb. 12, 2007, covering the planning, construction, and operation of a proposed TEDEC. The intent of the project is to provide a world-class testing and evaluation center for tidal energy devices and associated educational and research opportunities for students and faculty of the college; eventually generate electrical power for MMA’s own campus consumption from a locally available renewable and clean energy source, reducing MMA’s overall cost for power; and potentially supply excess electricity to the local community or the public electric power supply “grid”.
As part of the formal application process, Maine Maritime Academy is serving as the host institution representing a public-private consortium of agencies interested in the exploration and development of renewable energy sources. In addition to MMA, the consortium currently consists of 3 private companies engaged in the emerging ocean energy industry — Cianbro Corporation, Marinus Power, and OceanWorks International.
The formal Application grew from an initial meeting held at MMA in September 2006 where the concept and need for a TEDEC-type facility was first proposed and discussed among the consortium members. Following careful consideration, MMA determined that a TEDEC appropriately complemented the college’s academic focus, resources, capabilities, and location. “Clean, renewable, and economically viable sources of energy are vital to the future of our country,” said MMA President Leonard Tyler. “We see the center as a solid strategic fit with the focus on applied technology that has distinguished Maine Maritime Academy students, faculty, and alumni in their fields. It also promises significant benefits and contributions to the college, our surrounding communities, and the state of Maine. We envision the center as a source for valuable research outcomes that may be applied to energy challenges found within our country and throughout the world.”
According to Tyler, it is anticipated that the proposed center would provide the opportunity to economically and efficiently test and evaluate a variety of tidal energy devices currently under development around the world. Evaluation and testing programs conducted at the proposed center would focus on environmental and biological factors, design efficiencies, maintainability, and reliability.
MMA’s Application for Preliminary Permit requests consideration of locations in the coastal waters near the MMA campus in Castine as the location for the proposed TEDEC. Two specific areas of interest include Castine Harbor and the Bagaduce Narrows, located on the Bagaduce River. The Application requests a permit period of 36 months with the option for periodic renewal subject to acceptable operation of the proposed facility.
The proposed TEDEC would provide a dedicated site at which to conduct long-term evaluations of various tidal energy devices for the benefit of numerous constituencies including the device developers, government agencies, scientific and educational institutions, and the general public. Generic underwater foundations, anchor points, instrumentation and power cable connections back to a shore substation for six or more underwater test sites are part of the proposed ultimate installation plan. An operations center would be established in an existing or new structure located on the MMA campus that contains data collection and storage systems, workshops, offices, and electrical distribution and power control systems, including a new or expanded sub-station if required.
All tidal energy devices under consideration for testing at the proposed TEDEC would be subject to a preliminary evaluation covering environmental, safety, reliability, navigational hazards, and structural considerations, as well as suitable wet testing prior to their installation in the water at the proposed TEDEC. The proposal also requires an approved evaluation and study plan for each device.
“We are currently at the early permitting phase of this endeavor, so defining the organizational structure of this consortium, establishing our roles, and detailing expected services and outcomes will be the next step,” said Tyler. “This is an exciting development for the college and our state as it allows Maine Maritime Academy to further serve the public interest. This is a way in which we can expand our service as an educational resource, by providing a means to inexpensively and efficiently test the feasibility of renewable energy devices in Maine and other places.”
Tyler added that the proposed project will provide operational experience, invaluable training, and broad-based education for the students at MMA, in addition to those individuals and agencies from outside of the college who may be involved in the testing programs. The center’s establishment at MMA will also provide for enhanced faculty and student research opportunities and may facilitate an expansion of academic programming at the college to include renewable energy studies. The project also provides a new component to the local Castine and Maine economies by potentially generating employment related to the construction and ongoing operations of the proposed TEDEC facility. Particular projects may also provide a source for renewable and environmentally clean power for the campus, as well as for the local community.
Maine Maritime Academy is partnering with several notable private companies currently engaged in the emerging ocean energy industry. MMA will provide the project with access to academic facilities and skilled researchers. Tyler sees the return to the college in expanded qualification for energy exploration grants and incentive programs.
Members of the consortium - Cianbro Corporation, Marinus Power, and OceanWorks International – offer extensive industrial experience and connections to project development opportunities worldwide. Cianbro Corporation is a large, employee-owned construction firm based in Pittsfield, Maine, with regional offices in Portland, Maine; Bloomfield, Connecticut; and Baltimore, Maryland. The company’s president, Peter G. Vigue, is a Maine Maritime Academy graduate, Class of 1969. Cianbro employs more than 2,000 skilled people and specializes in complex, fast-track projects for a broad range of industrial, commercial, institutional, and governmental clients. Projects have included conventional, hydroelectric, and nuclear power generation facilities, gas distribution and utility services, marine infrastructure, and retrofits / conversion of marine vessels and structures. Cianbro facilities include fabrication and coating plants. Texas-based Marinus Power, headquartered in Houston, focuses on the development and financing of renewable energy technologies and projects such as tidal and wave energy extraction devices and commercial offshore wind energy projects. The company maintains a regional office in Portland, Maine. OceanWorks International is a designer and manufacturer of complex underwater work systems and provides engineering services. They have offices and facilities in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada, and Houston, Texas.
Maine Maritime Academy, a Maine public college based in Castine, is an internationally recognized leader in providing marine-related engineering and engineering technology programs. Complementary programs are offered in marine systems engineering and power generation. The college also offers programming in marine transportation, the marine sciences, and international business and logistics. With an enrollment of approximately 800 students, the college maintains numerous applied technology laboratories and unique facilities, including a waterfront campus complete with an operating marina and workshops, a fleet of training and research vessels, and sophisticated simulation systems in navigation and shiphandling, and power and steam plant operations.