News
New England Marine Renewable Energy Center (MREC) gets funding and recognition
Fall River, MA, Monday June 22, 2009 - The New England Marine Renewable Energy Center (MREC) announced the award of $950,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy last week. Funding will go to a consortium of researchers from area institutions working with MREC, which is located at Umass Dartmouth's Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center (ATMC). The research will focus on developing technologies to obtain clean energy from offshore wind, waves and tides.
MREC Director, John Miller, noted "While New England suffers from energy shortages and high prices, there is tremendous energy available in the ocean at our doorstep. MREC is here to open that door bringing electricity and jobs to our region."
The MREC consortium is currently funded by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and the University of Massachusetts. These additional funds will go a long way to establishing MREC as a center to support the local emergence of this new clean energy industry.
The Center is working now with the towns of Edgartown and Nantucket to test and develop a tidal energy project in Muskeget Channel, a spot with a furious confluence of currents between the islands of Muskeget and Martha's Vineyard. "It's a spot with great potential to provide enough power to the Town of Edgartown and throughout the Vineyard," said Kitt Johnson Edgartown's representative. UMass scientists from the School of Marine Science and Technology are conducting the oceanographic surveys to locate the "sweet spots" where the currents run the fastest for the longest period of time during tidal cycles.
The DOE funding news highlighted the importance of this emerging clean energy sector in New England. Last week, MREC director, John Miller was honored at the Energy Ocean Conference in Rockport, Maine. Miller received a Pioneer Award at the event for the work MREC does to help develop technology, coordinate funding, publicize development efforts and work toward creating an open ocean test facility.
MREC is developing a full and partial scale test site located off the coast of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. When operational the site will be wired and permitted to enable energy developers to conduct trials of their systems in the harsh marine environment for a fraction of what it would cost to establish a similar capability by themselves.
MREC is also working with a region university consortium that includes UMass, MIT, WHOI, UNH, URI and others to advance research in marine renewables.
The growing world wide demand for energy and the threat of climate change make it imperative that all forms of clean renewable energy be explored and developed. The Electric Power Research Institute, an industry research center, estimates that while the peak usage in New England is about 28 Gigawatts, New England's adjacent waters could yield over 200 Gigawatts.
MREC is hosting two important outreach events. September 17, 2009, 2nd Annual Ocean Energy for New England Conference, aimed at the public and the policy community to address federal, state and local regulatory frameworks for enabling ocean energy development. October 15, Research Advances in Ocean Energy, to address the technology of ocean energy.
Contact:
John Miller
MREC Director
151 Martine St. Fall River, MA 02723
Office: (508) 910-9830
j2miller@umassd.edu
www.mrec.umassd.edu
Buoy to test feasibility of wave energy
January 13, 2009
Sabrina Cardin, newburyportnews.com
NEWBURYPORT, MA -
While wind turbines have sparked recent controversy, another alternative energy source quietly slid into Newburyport yesterday.
Resolute Marine Energy Inc. deployed the first wave-powered energy converter on the East Coast, a project facilitated by Cliff Goudey, chairman of the Waterfront Trust and Newburyport Energy Advisory Committee. The test is part of a larger federally funded grant led by Ocean Farm Technologies.
"Local support has been great," Goudey said. "It seems like everyone is happy about looking for alternative energy."
The converter has the potential to create an alternative energy source and consists of a floating buoy on the surface of the ocean that follows the up-and-down wave action. The converter is expected to monitor a week's worth of wave energy, beginning the preliminary steps to estimating future energy output.
William Staby, CEO of Resolute Marine Energy Inc., relates the new technology to that of a popular flashlight now on the market that is shaken to generate power. The power is generated by moving magnets inside of a coil of wires, therefore generating electricity flow.
He said the technology could have two major roles: providing electricity in small amounts to isolated and autonomous ocean projects; and creating "wave farms" with many buoys that could connect to a larger electricity grid and provide electricity for cities and towns.
Goudey works for MIT and has spent the past six months pushing for the launch from Newburyport. After a full day two miles offshore, Goudey was forced to leave the launch incomplete due to a malfunctioning buoy. The team tentatively will return to the water this weekend once the weather clears.
"We have everything in place right now and will start testing once the buoy goes out," Goudey said.
Despite the malfunction, he remains confident the converter will be able to track about a week's worth of data.
"This is a relatively new industry. Most testing is taking place in warmer waters," Goudey said. "There have been some successes and some failures. Right now water energy is where wind energy was 10 years ago."
The energy converter will not initially produce energy for Newburyport but holds potential for the city in many other ways. Local officials are hoping the testing site will encourage other companies to recognize the city as open to potential waterfront endeavors and build up the city's reputation for thinking green.
"This is important for Newburyport," said Jim Stiles, vice chairman of Newburyport's Energy Advisory Committee. "Hosting a wave energy converter here sends the right message."
Local industries such as Wilson Welding of Salisbury have helped the effort by creating the 2,700-pound device. Also locally hired were Mike Goodbridge, Graham McKay and Jim Whipple, who dove into the cold water to rig the converter.
Yesterday's temperature remained in the low 20s, with the water temperature in the mid-30s. Due to conditions, the divers said they would be able to stay underwater for only about 30 minutes.
"It takes a healthy dose of stupidity to dive in," Whipple said about the frigid temperatures.
Goodbridge owns and operates the local Towboat U.S. franchise and helped lead yesterday's dive.
"I think this is great for Newburyport," Goodbridge said. "I support all new energy ideas."
The energy wave converter testing was one of the first initiatives for the Energy Advisory Committee. Stiles helped work on the quick approval of the testing and believes the project has potential for short- and long-term benefits.
"It's certainly very exciting that this is happening. I think this shows that Newburyport is very open and responsive to new energy ideas," Stiles said.
Mass Technology Collaborative awards $250,000 to Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center
Author: John Hoey
Assistant to the Chancellor
UMass Dartmouth Office of the Chancellor
jhoey@umassd.edu
Date: April 11, 2008
Senator Joan Menard (D-Fall River) and Representative Michael Rodrigues (D-Westport) are pleased to announce that the UMass Dartmouth Advanced Technology & Manufacturing Center (ATMC) located on Martine Streetin Fall River has received a $250,000 grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Renewable Energy Trust Fund. The grant has been awarded as a result of the ATMC's proposal to establish a Marine Renewable Energy Center (MREC) in a collaborative effort with officials in Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. The Center's goal is to accelerate the use and commercialization of marine renewable energy technologies.
"I am extremely pleased that this $250,000 was awarded," remarked Senator Menard. "It is a reflection of the tremendous amount of respect the scientific community and the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts has for the cutting edge research done at UMass Dartmouth and in Fall River at the ATMC."
"As an unequivocal supporter of renewable energy, I am very grateful that the Mass Tech Collaborative has decided to invest their resources with the Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center," said Representative Rodrigues. "Surely we must look to all potential sources of renewable energy, wherever they may be, in order to break our Commonwealth's dependence on fossil fuels."
"This award reflects the partnership that has been developed between UMass Dartmouth and the Cape & Islands region," Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack said. "UMass Dartmouth, through the ATMC and our School for Marine Science and Technology in New Bedford, is prepared to launch a major effort with Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket officials to explore the ocean's potential to generate energy and transform that potential into real environmental and economic benefits for society."
"The productive relationship created between Islanders, UMass Dartmouth and area officials will help us all achieve a mutual goal - jumpstarting the deployment marine renewable energy," said Edgartown Selectman Arthur Smadback. Edgartown has received Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval for a proposed tide engine project in Muskeget Channel, located in between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, that will provide power to both islands. This federal approval will allow for the creation of MREC in Muskeget Channel.
UMass Dartmouth, through the ATMC, is proposing to establish MREC to perform on-shore and in-water testing and demonstration of wave, tidal, current and off-shore wind renewable energy projects. Technical expertise from the School for Marine Science and Technology in New Bedford will also be critical to project. Establishing MREC will allow Massachusetts to compete for substantial federal funding in marine renewable energy and create marine testing and demonstration capabilities - currently only available in Europe.
The University has been working closely with the SouthCoast, Cape & Islands, and South Shore state legislative delegations; the Congressional offices of U.S. Reps. William Delahunt, Barney Frank, and James McGovern; the UMass System President's Office and local officials in Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket to shape the initiative.
About the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative:
The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative is the state's development agency for renewable energy and the innovation economy, which is responsible for one-quarter of all jobs in the state. MTC administers the John Adams Innovation Institute and the Renewable Energy Trust. MTC works to stimulate economic activity in communities throughout the Commonwealth, using a collaborative approach to achieving the organization's mission. MTC brings together leaders from industry, academia, and government to advance technology-based solutions that lead to economic growth and a cleaner environment in Massachusetts.
About the UMass Dartmouth Advanced Technology Manufacturing Center:
Opened in the 2001 on the former site of a textile mill, the 60,000 square foot Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center houses UMass Dartmouth laboratories, an incubator for start-up companies, space for established technology companies seeking a foothold in southeastern Massachusetts, and conferencing space. The ATMC also connects the talent of UMass Dartmouth faculty, students and staff to companies in the facility and throughout the region. UMass Dartmouth students benefit from the ATMC through internships and research projects related to the companies.