Upper Cook Inlet Electrofuels

Cook Inlet is a significant untapped renewable energy resource. With a global transition towards fostering green fuel production to create a carbon-negative future, ORPC has coupled with the existing facility at Port MacKenzie that is exploring economic development opportunities to investigate the ability to produce electrofuels at the underutilized dock. This presents a unique and compelling case for end-user engagement and a ramp up of development of renewable resources. General Statement We propose to utilize ORPC’s RivGen Power System®, a commercial product, as a basis of design for generating tidal power in Cook Inlet. This power will be used specifically to power a microgrid connected to an electrofuel production facility. This prototype design will serve as the basis for a planned proof of concept system to be built and tested in Phase II. Phase I Work For the Phase I effort, ORPC will focus on the following technical objectives: 1. Refine the design of ORPC’s RivGen to be capable of operating in a tidal environment with bi-directional flow and inform anchoring technologies for future deployments. 2. Create a microgrid design that allows the cyclical nature of tidal power to provide the appropriate power requirements for electrofuel production. 3. Final determination for which electrofuel to use, considering power limitations and access to existing infrastructure. The outcomes of this analysis will provide guidance on the capacity of tidal and river hydrokinetic devices required to make a meaningful contribution to electrofuel production, set LCOE targets that ORPC power systems will need to achieve to secure a place in the energy mix for green electrofuel projects, and help ORPC prioritize the opportunities within the growing electrofuels economy. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits Port MacKenzie is nearby Alaska’s main population center, Anchorage. Because the State funded rail project has not been completed, Port MacKenzie is not fully utilized and sees limited vessels traffic, averaging one deep draft vessel and a dozen barges annually. The Port is in a prime location for harvesting tidal energy and has the land capacity to allow for an electrofuel holding facility and production equipment to be staged with relative ease. With the increased interest in electrofuels, ORPC and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough see Port MacKenzie as having a major role in the production of renewable energy and hydro power. The target markets for commercial use of this product may include; backup fuel for onsite generators, maritime sector, port mobility support, aviation sector, supplemental fuel for main electrical grid, and National Security DoD applications (Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson).