US DOE supports tidal energy, river current initiatives with USD 16m

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced this week it is investing almost USD 16 million (EUR 14.9m) to help harness the energy of ocean tides and river currents.

Two projects will receive a total of USD 6 million to develop a tidal energy research, development and demonstration pilot site in the US.

A team fronted by Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO) proposes to deploy a tidal energy turbine of about 2 MW in Rosario Strait in the San Juan Islands in the state of Washington to ultimately provide a reliable and resilient local power for San Juan Islanders.

The second project is led by Portland, Maine-based ORPC and seeks to deploy two tidal energy devices in the Cook Inlet in Alaska, expected to be able to produce between 1 MW and 5 MW.

After an initial phase, involving steps such as licensing planning and stakeholder engagement, DOE will select one of these projects to proceed through four further phases and receive up to an additional USD 29 million. The USD 35 million in total investment is envisaged in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support the installation of one or more tidal energy devices that can become a commercial project.

In addition, a community-led river current energy research and development project was awarded USD 9.5 million. It is led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Alaska Center for Energy and Power, which aims to develop a replicable, community-led current energy research and development project in the Yukon River at Galena, Alaska. In Alaska, there are more than 90 communities with microgrids on or near rivers, according to the announcements.

(USD 1 = EUR 0.930)

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