WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Senate Arctic Caucus and a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced that the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) awarded a $200,000 grant to Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC), a marine renewable energy company headquartered in Portland, Maine. The Phase I grant, awarded through the EERE’s Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR), will allow ORPC to advance the development of a tidal-powered energy storage system that aims to provide a renewable electricity to the rural community of False Pass, Alaska. If the project is successful, it could help commercialize the technology for deployment in rural communities worldwide.

“ORPC is a global leader in marine, renewable energy, and this funding will accelerate the company’s efforts to help rural communities utilize more environmentally-friendly energy sources,” said Senators Collins and King. “This project reflects the forward-thinking approach of Maine’s business community, who are always striving to advance new, innovative ways to generate clean and renewable energy.”

The SBIR Program encourages the growth of domestic small businesses by offering competitively awarded grants to support high-quality research related to important scientific problems.  These small business ventures are recognized as having the potential for larger scale commercialization as well as benefits to the community at large.