Modular RivGen Test in Millinocket Maine

In January 2023, ORPC deployed its new low-flow Modular RivGen hydrokinetic power system in Maine's Millinocket Stream followed by a second device in May 2023. These devices were deployed at One North, a renewable energy hub and industrial park located at a former paper mill site and managed by local nonprofit Our Katahdin. The project goal was to demonstrate the system’s potential to provide resilient baseload power for uses like electrical vehicle (EV) charging and critical infrastructure. The project has provided an opportunity for teams at top U.S. research universities and national labs, including University of Washington and Sandia National Laboratories, to conduct research through the U.S. Department of Energy’s TEAMER program.

The width of the two devices when connected was about 51 ft, while the width of Millinocket Stream at the project site is approximately 100 ft wide. Considering that recreation use (e.g., paddlers, fishing vessels) was possible during testing, the devices' corners were marked by four buoys, with one additional buoy marking the location of an upstream anchor.

www.energy.gov

Project Manager

Ocean Renewable Power Company

Additional Information

Project Website

Project Status Is the project actively being planned or is deployed in the water (active)? Or was the project canceled or completed (inactive)?

Inactive

Project Life Cycle Project Progress through life cycle:<ul> <li>Planned: Project has identified a deployment location and is preparing for deployment</li> <li>Operational: Project is deployed in the water and is active</li> <li>Completed: Project was previously deployed in the water</li> <li>Decommissioned: Installation has been fully removed in accordance with regulations</li> <li>Canceled: Project was canceled before being deployed in the water</li></ul>

Completed

Max Rated Power Capacity The maximum amount of electricity that can be produced by project, based on available resources and device nameplate capacity.

.014 MW

Operational Duration

January 2023 - 2023

Project Duration

2023 - 2023

Energy Resource

Riverine

Project Scale

Sub-scale

Number of Devices

2

Grid Connectivity

Not Grid Connected

Waterbody

Millinocket Stream, Maine

Site Characteristics Geographic characterization for the project location:<ul> <li>Open Ocean: Main body of ocean, not enclosed or partially enclosed by land</li> <li>Coastal: Open water near the coast, spanning between land and shelf boundary</li> <li>Enclosed Bay: water that is partially surrounded by land, with a mouth open to larger water</li> <li>Constricted Channel: A channel where water flows quickly due to narrowing by the land</li> <li>River: Water flowing from land towards a larger body of water</li></ul>

Constricted Channel

Country

United States

Last Modified

13 June 2025

This Project has the following MRE Devices

Citation Formats

“Modular RivGen Test in Millinocket Maine.” Marine Energy Projects Database: Projects, PRIMRE, United States Department of Energy, https:https://openei.org/wiki/PRIMRE/Databases/Projects_Database/Projects/Modular_RivGen_Test_in_Millinocket_Maine. Accessed <day> <monthRoman> <year>.

Marine Energy Projects Database: Projects. <year>. "Modular RivGen Test in Millinocket Maine." Accessed <monthRoman> <day>, <year>. https:https://openei.org/wiki/PRIMRE/Databases/Projects_Database/Projects/Modular_RivGen_Test_in_Millinocket_Maine.

PRIMRE/Databases/Projects Database/Projects/Modular RivGen Test in Millinocket Maine

Modular RivGen Test in Millinocket Maine

This Project has the following MRE Devices

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