About two hours is all one needs to witness the dramatic difference in the tidal waters surrounding Eastport, and like other coastal Maine communities, the difference between high tide and low tide can be sweeping.
At about 12:30 p.m. Monday, vast mudflats lay uncovered by the ebb tide. A family was gathered on the mudflats near the entrance to the town, apparently digging for clams.
Barely two hours later, those acres upon acres of mudflats were submerged by the incoming tide.
It is the energy behind the flowing tidal waters that Portland-based Ocean Renewable Power Co. seeks to harness and convert into electricity.
The company’s pilot project to accomplish that task has been underway about a year with a deployed a turbine generator in Cobscook Bay, to the west of Eastport, producing electricity as the incoming and outgoing tide pushed the foils of a device.
The company removed the turbine generator — resembling a rotary lawnmower with a generator in the middle — last month for a yearly inspection, maintenance and service. It sits at the facilities of The Boat School in Eastport, a wooden scaffold erected around it to make it accessible to workers.
It is the first commercial pilot project in North America that converts the power of the tides into electricity and connects to the energy grid. When operating, it generates enough electricity to provide power to about 25 homes.
The company has been learning from the yearlong project and is moving forward to phase two — the deployment of two more devices in 2014.
Read more: Tidal power project headed for next stage — Down East — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine
At about 12:30 p.m. Monday, vast mudflats lay uncovered by the ebb tide. A family was gathered on the mudflats near the entrance to the town, apparently digging for clams.
Barely two hours later, those acres upon acres of mudflats were submerged by the incoming tide.
It is the energy behind the flowing tidal waters that Portland-based Ocean Renewable Power Co. seeks to harness and convert into electricity.
The company’s pilot project to accomplish that task has been underway about a year with a deployed a turbine generator in Cobscook Bay, to the west of Eastport, producing electricity as the incoming and outgoing tide pushed the foils of a device.
The company removed the turbine generator — resembling a rotary lawnmower with a generator in the middle — last month for a yearly inspection, maintenance and service. It sits at the facilities of The Boat School in Eastport, a wooden scaffold erected around it to make it accessible to workers.
It is the first commercial pilot project in North America that converts the power of the tides into electricity and connects to the energy grid. When operating, it generates enough electricity to provide power to about 25 homes.
The company has been learning from the yearlong project and is moving forward to phase two — the deployment of two more devices in 2014.
Read more: Tidal power project headed for next stage — Down East — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine
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