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ORPC power systems generate clean, renewable electricity by harnessing the energy of the world’s rivers and oceans. Rather than relying on dams, which can be costly and detrimental to marine environments, ORPC power systems are designed around our proprietary Turbine Generator Unit, or TGU. Our TGU works on the same principle as a wind turbine, with rotating foils that power a central permanent magnet generator. But because we install it underwater, and water is more than 800 times denser than air, our TGUs provide significantly more power than wind turbines at relatively low water current speeds. Built primarily with composite materials, they resist corrosion in fresh and salt water alike. As gearless units, they require no lubricants, and emit absolutely nothing into the surrounding water.
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At river and ocean energy sites, ORPC installs TGUs in groups, to form complete power systems that convert river and ocean energy into grid-compatible power. Our TGU has a modular design that makes it easy to adapt to the varying needs of different site environments, and we configure it differently depending on where it will be used. To install power systems at small river and shallow tidal sites, we secure arrays of TGUs to the riverbed or seabed using bottom support frames. To use our technology at deeper tidal and deep ocean current sites, we “stack” several TGUs together to form larger, more powerful modules, which we then moor to the sea floor with a deep sea mooring system. Because the modules are buoyant, we can suspend them above the sea floor at a depth that’s safe for both sea vessels above and sea life below.
ORPC’s power systems produce no emissions of any kind and require no fossil fuels to operate, deriving their power solely from the renewable resource of the earth’s rivers and oceans. Since these currents are both regular and completely predictable, the clean, dependable energy generated by ORPC power systems can be scheduled years in advance.
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At Small River Sites: ORPC’s RivGen™ Power System
ORPC has designed the RivGen™ Power System to generate electricity at small river sites, particularly in remote communities with no large, centralized power grid. Currently, many of these communities rely on local power distribution grids connected to diesel generators, which leave a huge carbon footprint and are growing increasingly expensive to fuel and operate. The RivGen™ Power System is designed to connect directly into these existing diesel-electric grids, and to provide automatic fuel-switching so that whenever the RivGen™ Power System is generating power, the diesel generator automatically turns down or off. We’ve also designed all system components to fit into standard shipping containers, so that they can arrive onsite ready to install. Depending on community needs and site size, the RivGen™ Power System can include up to several dozen TGUs, with each TGU generating up to 30 kW in a 10-foot-per-second river current.
A single RivGen™ TGU and bottom support frame
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At Shallow Tidal and Deeper River Sites: ORPC’s TidGen™ Power System
ORPC’s TidGen™ Power System, designed to generate electricity at water depths of 50 to 100 feet, is used at shallow tidal and deep river sites. In this system, groups of TGUs connect directly to an on-shore substation through a single underwater transmission line. The TidGen™ Power System is larger and more powerful than the RivGen™ Power System, with each TGU generating up to 250 kW in a 6-knot water current.
A single TidGen™ TGU and bottom support frame
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At Deep Tidal and Ocean Current Sites: ORPC’s OCGen™ Power System
ORPC’s OCGen™ Power System, the largest and most powerful of our modular systems, is designed for use in water depths of more than 80 feet. In the OCGen™ Power System, we stack up to four TGUs together to create larger power generating modules that are moored to the sea floor with a low-impact mooring system designed specifically for this purpose. Anywhere from a few to several dozen modules will be located at the same site, and will be connected in groups to an on-shore substation through a single underwater cable. A module composed of four TGUs will have a peak generating capacity of 1,000 kW in a 6-knot water current.
A single moored OCGen™ Module made of four TGUs
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