Release: Marinus Power LLC and Maine Maritime Academy
Houston Company Leads Ocean Renewable Energy Project
(Tuesday, February 20, 2007) Houston, TX— Marinus Power LLC, a newly formed Houston-based company, is working to provide the world with clean energy solutions. Marinus Power develops and finances offshore renewable energy projects which harness the power in tides, waves, and offshore winds.
Marinus Power and its consortium partners have just announced their first project, a world class Tidal Energy Device Evaluation Center (TEDEC), located offshore Castine, Maine. TEDEC will accelerate and facilitate the development and commercialization of various tidal energy devices under development around the world.
Maine Maritime Academy (“MMA”), a public college based in Castine, will serve as the host institution for the TEDEC project. MMA is recognized internationally as a leader in providing marine-related engineering and engineering technology programs with complementary programs in marine systems engineering and power generation. In addition to MMA and Marinus Power, the other consortium partners are Houston-based OceanWorks International, a privately owned subsea technology company with offices also in North Vancouver, British Columbia, and Cianbro Corporation, a large employee-owned construction firm based in Pittsfield, Maine.
Because most tidal energy devices are being developed by small private companies and academic institutions with limited resources, the center will provide a much-needed infrastructure for long-term testing, technical refinement, and commercial evaluation. The TEDEC will consist of six or more underwater test-sites connected to a shore substation. The testing will focus on environmental and biological factors, design efficiencies, maintainability, and reliability.
The TEDEC consortium also plans to generate electrical power for the MMA campus, and may potentially supply excess electricity to the local Castine community or the public electric power supply “grid”.
Marinus Power LLC is a privately owned company focused on the development and financing of offshore renewable energy technologies and projects. The company is based in Houston with a regional office in Portland, Maine. For more information please visit: www.marinuspower.com, www.mainemaritime.edu, www.oceanworks.com, and www.cianbro.com.