Christopher Sauer

ORPC power systems generate baseload renewable electricity from rivers and tidal streams without impounding or restricting the flow of water in any way. ORPC’s RivGen® Power System is in its fourth year of operation in the remote community of Igiugig, Alaska. When this project is completed in 2023, ORPC power systems will combine with batterystorage and a smart microgrid controller to form Igiugig’s local microgrid, moving the existing diesel generators to a back-up role, and enabling the community to turn off its diesel generators between 60% and 90% of the time.Over 700 million people globally rely on highly-pollutive diesel generators to meet their electricity needs, and an additional billion people do not have access to electricity at all. ORPC’s integrated solution in Igiugig is a replicable model for remote communities around the world. With outreach from over 42 countries about the RivGen Power System, ORPC will deploy its first power systems in Canada and Patagonia, Chile, over the next 12 months. Based in Portland, Maine, ORPC also has offices in Anchorage, Montreal and Dublin, and an affiliate in Punta Arenas, Chile. Its 37-member staff has the capability to handle every aspect of the project development process from site assessment to permitting to installation and post-installation maintenance.