AEC is proud to announce the successful completion of a design-build project for Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC), a leader in marine and river hydrokinetic energy technology. ORPC develops systems that generate clean, predictable electricity from the natural movement of water—harnessing the power of rivers, tides, and ocean currents without the need for dams or large-scale impoundments.
As part of this collaboration, AEC designed and constructed a new Shore Station enclosure that will support ORPC’s efforts to generate renewable energy from the Mississippi River. This station serves as a critical interface between the in-water energy generation equipment and the local power grid, housing electrical, control, and monitoring systems essential to the operation.
The Shore Station was carefully engineered to meet the unique demands of this application. Equipment is housed in a large NEMA 4X 4-door pad-mounted enclosure with an external cooling unit. Internal components include a 55KW variable frequency drive; power conditioning and power monitoring equipment; large stalling resistor bank; utility grade DC/AC inverter; environmental monitoring equipment; SCADA software on an industrial PC; PLC control platform hardware; cellular communications equipment; and a 21″ touchscreen. The full enclosure assembly provides a secure and efficient hub for the power conditioning, system controls, and data monitoring equipment, and allows for both local and remote monitoring, ensuring reliable energy delivery from the river to the grid.
AEC’s integrated design-build approach allowed for collaboration and coordination with ORPC’s engineering team. This project reflects AEC’s ongoing commitment to supporting innovative Maine companies, especially with critical infrastructure and sustainable energy solutions. By partnering with forward-thinking organizations like ORPC, AEC continues to play a role in expanding renewable energy opportunities and strengthening resilient energy systems across the region.
For over 40 years AEC Engineering has been New England’s premiere provider of custom designed-and-built UL listed control panels, PLC programming, SCADA software design and programming services, and reliable service & support for all your automation and integration needs. Our fabrication shop is certified UL 508A, 698, and NNNY. Contact us today to learn how AEC Engineering can help you with your next project.
