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Tidal Energy Center to Begin In-Stream Testing

CASTINE, Maine - The Tidal Energy Demonstration and Evaluation Center (TEDEC) based at Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) achieved significant success earlier this week toward energy independence. In a special order of clarification received from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), TEDEC has effectively been established as the only in-stream tidal energy device testing facility in the United States. The declaration will enable TEDEC to further the research and testing of field-scale models of tidal energy devices at two sites located near the Castine college.

The declaration was granted on the basis that TEDEC is hosted by Maine Maritime Academy, a public, non-profit educational institution with the intent of providing applied educational opportunities for its students while serving the furtherance of alternative energy development. The declaration requires that any electrical power that may be realized through the testing process not displace or replace power that is commercially available through the electricity infrastructure grid. It also requires that the Center will remain non-commercial in nature with the purpose of providing scientifically-based, objective assessments and results.

According to Rick Armstrong, executive director of TEDEC, the declaration clears the path for the initiation of immediate testing activity which has been significantly delayed by a permitting process that was originally developed for application to hydropotential energy sources, rather than those of hydrokinetic energy. The FERC regulatory process primarily focuses on managing the environmental implications of necessary infrastructure and processes related to the generation of hydroelectricity, through the use of dams and other gravitational flowing water systems. "Tidal energy works with the environment and the natural flow of tidal waters, so many of the well-intentioned restrictions and precautions of the Federal Power Act are not necessarily applicable to this situation, especially in light of the fact that TEDEC at Maine Maritime Academy will focus on non-permanent, field test models that are relatively small and easy to remove," said Armstrong.

According to Armstrong, FERC's declaration considered impediments to the growth and success of the emerging tidal energy industry. He stated that there is a growing need for objective, scientific field tests and assessments of prototypes with little or no domestic proving grounds. Also, there is an industry need for trained personnel for the development of installations, maintenance, deployment, and monitoring of tidal energy devices. Armstrong said, "TEDEC, through its solid academic base at MMA, was able to assure FERC of its ability to provide support to advancements in the technology, while offering an educational platform for the expansion of related career paths for its students.Through TEDEC, MMA has seized the opportunity to involve its students from across the core disciplines of the college in a number of applied learning environments, from engineering performance review and operation, to baseline environmental studies, to aspects of entrepreneurship and business. This movement forward is a tremendous gain for the industry and our students."

TEDEC publicly announced its intention to establish a tidal energy testing center three years ago. With Maine Maritime Academy serving as the host institution representing a public-private partnership interested in the exploration and development of renewable energy sources, the college submitted an application for preliminary permitting to FERC in February 2007. The application requested consideration of sites in the coastal waters near the MMA campus in Castine as the location for the proposed TEDEC. The application requested a permit period of 36 months with the option for periodic renewal. The permit was granted in October 2007. At the time, the consortium consisted of 3 private companies engaged in the emerging ocean energy industry - Cianbro Corporation, Marinus Power, and OceanWorks International. The consortium worked to establish itself as a 501(c)3 agency, formed a Board of Directors, elected a President, and established and adopted a mission statement and bylaws. Federal tax-exempt status is still pending review and approval.

As TEDEC matured, industry partners transitioned to advisory roles, enabling TEDEC to focus on offering a setting for applied studies in the undergraduate curriculum at the college, as well as offering a non-commercial base for evaluation and comparison of tidal energy device prototypes.

"Maine Maritime Academy is committed to furthering the original intent of the founders of TEDEC," said MMA President Leonard Tyler. "This permission to proceed is a significant milestone for Maine Maritime Academy. It will open doors for our students from an academic perspective, with a far greater value coming in the form of exposure to the excitement and potential found within the circles of entrepreneurs and the emergence of a new product or technology."

Through TEDEC, the college will provide a tidal energy demonstration and evaluation center to economically and efficiently test and evaluate a variety of tidal energy devices currently under development around the world. The Center, the second of only two in the world and the first one in the United States, will also seek to create a model for tidal energy device testing in which educational and industry interests work cooperatively to advance technology while improving understanding of local natural resources and incorporating those features in design development. To minimize environmental disturbances and improve the overall viability of proposed renewable energy devices, the proposed center will enable academic research to influence not only testing procedures, but industry-wide engineering standards for tidal energy devices.

In addition, TEDEC is committed to assisting the regulatory community in developing protocols and permitting regimes that are appropriate to the emerging tidal energy industry and are specifically directed at environmentally friendly in-stream hydrokinetic technology and energy production.

As a non-profit, mission-based resource for alternative energy exploration, the proposed center will provide device developers with access to environmental research and interpretation, academic expertise regarding environmental influencers and impact reduction, and professional engineering suggestions and solutions.

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