Maine offers testbed for power from tides

Electricity produced from bay with greatest tide change in continental U.S.

EASTPORT, Maine – Workers spent the past winter tinkering with high-tech turbines slung beneath a barge in the cold waters off the Maine coast before getting them to produce a modest 20 kilowatts, enough electricity to power a half-dozen homes.

Far from discouraged, Ocean Renewable Power Co. is spending the summer preparing to deploy larger turbines capable of producing up to 5 megawatts. Or, enough electricity to power 5,000 houses.

Eventually, the company envisions producing enough electricity to power 22,000 homes by harnessing the power of Passamaquoddy Bay, where twice each day the tide rises and falls upward of 20 feet, the greatest tide change in the continental United States.

“This is our beachhead opportunity to enter the market,” project manager John Ferland said.

MSNBC