Marine Energy Leader Honored at Maine International Trade Day. By Helping Off-Grid Northern Canadian Communities Transition from Diesel Marine Energy Will Play a Key Role in Achieving Canada's Goal for Net-Zero Emissions by 2050
Quebec's Delegate to New England, Marie-Claude Francoeur, today (May 26) awarded ORPC Inc., a developer of clean, renewable power systems that harness energy from free-flowing rivers and tidal currents, the Maine International Trade Center (MITC)'s Innovator of the Year Award. Innovative technology helps off-grid communities' transition away from diesel "ORPC's innovative clean energy technology can provide fully clean, renewable baseload power supply to help transition northern off-grid communities from their reliance on diesel - a critical and essential step for Québec to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050." said Marie-Claude Francoeur, Quebec's Delegate to New England. "And because ORPC Canada, founded in 2015 and based in Montreal, is tasked with building a North American supply chain to provide marine renewable energy systems to customers in Canada and around the world, I am especially proud to be giving this award."
"River hydrokinetic energy systems provide clean and renewable energy and have the potential to provide a reliable base load solution at a competitive cost and to be an attractive option for the urgent transition away from diesel fuel reliance by remote, off-grid communities", said Ghanashyam Ranjitkar, Senior Marine Energy Engineer in Natural Resources Canada's Energy Technology Sector.
680,000 Clean jobs predicted "Today, river current devices like RivGen® can sustainability and economically address the energy needs of many northern and remote communities as they transition off diesel while creating clean jobs in Canada," said Elisa Obermann, Executive Director of Marine Renewables Canada. Marine energy could create 680,000 jobs and save 500 million tons of CO2 emissions according to the International Energy Agency.
"With decarbonization of power generation on the minds of consumers and policymakers internationally, we're pleased to recognize and celebrate ORPC for their success," MITC President Wade Merritt said. "ORPC has developed and brought to market an innovative solution that's making a difference for rural communities worldwide." "ORPC's RivGen Power System is now ready for commercialization and capable of competing in the global marketplace estimated to be upwards of $400 billion USD," said ORPC Canada President and Chief Executive Officer, Alexandre Paris, "and, like wind and solar, our costs are expected to fall dramatically as we fill even a limited number of anticipated orders in Canada." "More than 2 billion people worldwide have limited or no access to electricity, and 700 million of them rely on diesel fuel to operate their local grids," said ORPC President John Ferland.
ORPC has responded to inquiries from 20 countries in just the last 12 months due to strong global interest in aggressive climate change mitigation and development of more localized and resilient renewable energy sources. ORPC is a recognized leader in marine energy technology innovation and operational excellence, headquartered in Portland, Maine, near its engineering and electronics laboratory in Brunswick, its marine operations center in Eastport, and in-water product test site in Cobscook Bay. In addition to ORPC Canada, ORPC's international presence includes subsidiaries in Dublin (ORPC Ireland) and Punta Arenas (ORPC Chile). ORPC has a long track record of prestigious awards dating back to more than a decade, including the Ocean Energy Company Pioneer Award (2009), "World's Top Ten Most Innovative Companies in Energy" by Fast Company and the Tibbetts Award, for Small Business Innovation Research (2013). ORPC was the first marine renewable energy company to receive the National Hydropower Association's Award for Operational Excellence in 2016.
Recognizing the importance of the six New England states as neighbors, partners and allies, the Québec Government opened its doors in Boston in 1970 to deepen economic, political, artistic, academic and institutional exchanges with the region.
The Maine International Trade Center is a partnership of the State of Maine and more than 300 businesses supporting international business development and foreign direct investment in Maine's economy. ORPC was honored at MITC's virtual Trade Day on May 21.
