W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z
13 M A R C H 6 , 2 0 2 3
S TA R T U P S
F O C U S
Origin
ORPC was founded in Florida in
2004 by cruise ship executive Paul
Wells, John Cooper and Chris Sauer,
whose careers focused on developing
and operating cogeneration and inde-
pendent power projects. e goal?
Build a technology to harness the
power of moving water – rivers, ocean
currents and tidal streams – without
impeding flow or hurting marine life.
In 2006, a cooperative research
and development agreement with
the U.S. Navy led to the adoption
of ORPC's turbine generator unit
design concept.
In 2007, ORPC opened offices in
Eastport and Portland, then launched
a prototype demonstration in Cob-
scook Bay and Eastport's Western
Passage to prove the technical fea-
sibility of its turbine generator unit.
ORPC later deployed its RivGen
Power System as a pilot project in
Igiugig. at project made ORPC
the only company worldwide to have
built, operated and delivered power
to a remote community grid from the
renewable river project at Igiugig and
to a utility grid from a pilot renew-
able tidal energy project in Eastport.
In 2019, ORPC unveiled a com-
mercial river-power generation system.
C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E
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P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D
Benjamin Winn with a RivGen
crossflow turbine at the Ocean
Renewable Power Co. facility at
TechPlace in Brunswick. He is a
mechanical engineer with the firm.
Ocean
Renewable
Power Co.
orpc.co / Portland
Founded: 2004
Founders: Paul Wells, John
Cooper, Chris Sauer
What it does: Renewable
energy
Workforce: 38
Funding: Grants, seed loans,
friends and family, angel
investors, private equity,
public sector R&D funds
