ORPC Represented at United Nations Climate Change Conference

Chilean Nongovernmental Organization Introducing ORPC’s Sustainable Energy Solution

Portland, Maine, December 11, 2019 – Ocean Renewable Power Company, Inc. (ORPC), announced today that Chilean nongovernmental organization, NRGizar, dedicated to the development of community-scale renewable energy, particularly marine renewable energy, in remote regions of southern and central Chile, is representing ORPC at the United Nations (U.N.) Climate Change Conference COP 25. The foremost global forum for multilateral discussion of climate change matters, COP 25 is in progress and will conclude on December 13 in Madrid, Spain.

Selected as a nonprofit observer for the conference, NRGizar, represents private companies and engineers, geophysicists and oceanographers in central and southern Chile dedicated to providing professional development opportunities at no charge to young people in remote regions of Chile. NRGizar founder, Sergio Andrade, and ORPC business development consultant for Chile, will present at COP 25 on “Energy dignity in rural areas,” on December 12 and 13, and NRGizar will be an exhibitor at the conference on December 13.

“We embrace ORPC and its proven river and tidal power systems as a means to strengthen rural Chile’s resilience to the increasing effects of climate change, and to provide energy hope and dignity to our rural communities and young people,” said Mr. Andrade.

ORPC President, John Ferland, remarked, “NRGizar’s work in Chile perfectly aligns with ORPC’s efforts to serve remote markets globally and provide clean, affordable energy while ensuring positive, local economic results. We are most concerned with remote communities and facilities in Canada, Chile and the U.S. that have no access to regional power grids, rely solely on diesel or other fossil fuel to power their homes and are experiencing the first, most significant effects of climate change.”

ORPC launched its first commercial product, the RivGen® Power System, in July in the remote village of Igiugig, Alaska, where the system was installed and is now operating in the nearby Kvichak River. The company plans to install a second RivGen device, along with smart microgrid controls and electronics, and an energy storage system, over the next 18 months, creating a sustainable energy solution that ORPC estimates will reduce the community’s diesel fuel use by 90 percent.

ORPC, whose mission is to improve people’s lives and their environment through sustainable energy solutions, is the only company to have built, operated and delivered power to a utility grid from a tidal energy project (in Maine), and to a remote community grid from a river energy project (in Alaska). ORPC remains committed to its founding principle of working collaboratively with all stakeholders and local contractors to create economic development opportunities. In addition to its Portland, Maine, company headquarters, ORPC has offices in Montreal (ORPC Canada) and Dublin (ORPC Ireland), an operations center in Eastport, Maine, and a project office in Anchorage, Alaska. For more information, visit www.orpc.co.

On Wednesday September 17, 2019, E2Tech’s Adelaide Taylor attended the 2019 Mainebiz Women to Watch Reception, honoring Betsy Biemann (CEO, Coastal Enterprises Inc.), Mary Allen Lindemann (Co-founder, Coffee By Design), Liz Cotter Schlax (President and CEO, United Way of Greater Portland), and Kim Swan (President, The Swan Agency Sotheby’s International Realty).

Adelaide Taylor, Project Administrator

To this day, often unconsciously, women are often under-represented and overlooked in positions of power within companies throughout the world. Ruth Bader Ginsburg best represented this when in 2017 she is quoted as saying “There will be enough women on the Supreme Court when there are nine”. 11 years ago Mainebiz created a yearly reception to honor Maine’s leading women executives, recognizing the tireless work they perform strengthening their organizations, and Maine’s economy. All four 2019 honorees credited the support from their families as well as their peers and superiors throughout their careers which led them to determinedly endeavor to do more and led them to their current success. “We look forward to a day where we no longer have to single out women, and can simply celebrate Maine’s people to watch” Betsy Biemann said in her acceptance speech.

2019 Honorees: Mary Allen Lindemann, Betsy Biemann, Kim Swan, Liz Cotter Schlax

The evening was an overwhelming success filling the space at Halo at the Point in Portland with great networking and much laughter. Congratulations to all four 2019 honorees!

People from different fields were encouraged to connect at the summer gathering on an Old Port rooftop.

BY AMY PARADYSZ

The Environmental & Energy Technology of Council of Maine, better known as E2Tech, lucked out with a perfect evening for a summer social July 24 on the fifth-story rooftop of Old Port consulting firm Burns & McDonnell, a member of the council.

“E2Tech is the leader in the state bringing together engineers, attorneys and people working in these fields who are all interested in making Maine a better place,” said longtime member Joshua Rosen, a Maine Law student. “It’s a great opportunity to learn and to network.”

Martin Grohman, who came on board as the nonprofit’s executive director this past Earth Day, April 22, shuffled a pocketful of business cards he collected at the social, finding just the right connection for various members as they stopped to chat with him.

“We do not want all the scientists in a corner talking with other scientists. We want business people talking with scientists and salespeople, and economic investors,” Grohman said. “We want to see clean technology investment in Maine, and that’s what it takes.”

E2Tech has 1,500 members with interests in sustainable, renewable and clean energy, such as solar, wind and geothermal, as well as everything from cleaner sewer systems to electric vehicles. Board members come from organizations such as Efficiency Maine, ReVision Energy, Sunrun, Tyler Technologies and Ocean Renewable Power Company.

“There’s a lot of innovation happening on the environmental and energy fronts,” said Juliet Browne, an energy and environmental lawyer with Verrill Dana, the event sponsor.

“We, the people here and around us, continue to endeavor to find a better way, a cleaner way to do business,” said Andrew McMullin of host firm Burns & McDonnell.

“And it’s kind of fun going to these things,” said John Robinson of RE/MAX commercial brokerage.

Amy Paradysz is a freelance writer and photographer based in Scarborough. She can be reached at amyparadysz@gmail.com.

https://www.pressherald.com/2019/08/11/society-notebook-e2tech-facilitates-sociability-in-the-name-of-sustainability/

10 leaders for Maine’s economic future

Maine faces a well-publicized demographic challenge: the population isn’t growing, and it’s getting older. Yet Maine’s economy has grown through a dedicated core of leaders, just a few of whom are highlighted here. There are others who have had an impact and others waiting in the wings, but here are 10 people making an impact on Maine’s economy right now and for the foreseeable future.

Betsy Biemann: CEO, Coastal Enterprises Inc.

PHOTO / TIM GREENWAY

Betsy Biemann

A Harvard graduate who started her career as a Rotary fellow in Kenya, Biemann has helped CEI make a seamless transition after the retirement of its founder. The nonprofit has provided more than $31 million in financing to 148 small businesses in the past two years alone and stoked economic development in Maine’s rural areas.

 

Yellow Light Breen: President and CEO, Maine Development Foundation

PHOTO / MAINE DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

Yellow Light Breen

Grew up in northern Maine, where his parents were back-to-landers. Now, after a banking career at Bangor Savings Bank, he serves as president and CEO of the Maine Development Foundation, influencing the state’s economic policy.

Joshua Broder: CEO, Tilson

PHOTO / TIM GREENWAY

Joshua Broder

In the past decade, Broder has built up a company that puts up cell towers and equipment. He’s hired hundreds of employees. He’s a veteran and makes it a point to hire veterans. The company is in a new headquarters in Portland and continues to grow.

Fred Forsley: Founder, Shipyard Brewing Co.

PHOTO / SHIPYARD BREWING

Fred Forsley

If there was a dictionary definition of “beer-entrepreneur,” there’d be a picture of Forsley. He started Shipyard Brewing Co. in what was then a run-down neighborhood in Portland. He built a successful beer company, but he also started Sea Dog Brewing, chain of brewpubs, and bought up a lot of property around Shipyard. Now, he’s a partner in what will be Portland’s first “brewtel,” a hotel with a beer theme. Despite a literal beer-truckload of competition, Shipyard continues to be Maine’s No. 1 beer, by production.

Marty Grohman: Executive Director, E2 Tech

PHOTO / E2TECH

Marty Grohman

Grohman built and sold a company that made deck boards out of recycled materials. He served in the Maine Legislature for two terms. He ran, unsuccessfully, for the U.S. House, District 1, seat in Maine. Now he’s running a nonprofit that touts innovation and environmental causes, but also sells out its regular forums.

Steve Mills: CEO, Maine Beer Co.

PHOTO / MAINE BEER CO.

Steve Mills

Mills didn’t build the Maine Beer brand or convince its fans to stand out in winter weather waiting for new issues of the beer. But he was brought in with the founders acknowledged they couldn’t take the company to the next level. Meantime, Maine Beer continues to grow, both in output and physically, with its Freeport HQ growing ever-larger.

 

Beth Shissler, Don Oakes: President, CEO, Sea Bags LLC

PHOTOS / SEA BAGS

Beth Shissler and Don Oakes

Sea Bags had been around since 1999, but it took Shissler’s vision of what the tote bag maker could be to make it a recognized brand. Inc. Magazine ran a story titled, “This company turns tons of old sails into tons of cash.” Now, with Shissler’s brand sense and Oakes’ marketing expertise from years at L.L.Bean, the company has 25 stores in resort towns from Maine to Florida.

Melissa Smith: CEO, WEX Inc.

PHOTO / TIM GREENWAY

Melissa Smith

She’s helped build a public company with $1.5 billion in annual sales. More than that is the impact she’s had on Maine, moving the corporate headquarters to Portland’s East End and showcasing the city as a hub for finance and bringing with her 400 employees. Now Covetrus, Maine’s largest public company, is building its headquarters a block away.

 

Brian Whitney: President, Maine Technology Institute

PHOTO / MAINE TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE

Brian Whitney

Under Whitney, MTI has been at the center of the funding hub for the state’s entrepreneurs, using matching grants to foster independence and growth. Whitney has also been able to balance the needs of the entrepreneurial community with the demands of Augusta.

 

Updated: July 29, 2019 

https://www.mainebiz.biz/article/10-leaders-for-maines-economic-future

The Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine (“E2Tech”) has hired entrepreneur and former State Representative Marty Grohman of Biddeford as its new Executive Director.

E2Tech is known for its nonpartisan forums on current environmental and energy issues, bringing together a variety of voices on issues critical to the future of Maine, and is the preeminent organization of its type in the region.

Grohman said, “I’m pleased and honored to join E2Tech in a leadership role. I’ve been a longtime member and supporter. The organization plays a critical role in Maine’s economy and continues to grow strongly. Because of my mix of formal training as a Chemical Engineer and experience running a Maine composites and recycling company; as Director of Sustainability for a multinational manufacturer; and then as a State Representative, I have long seen the connection between smart energy and environmental policy and the future of Maine.”

E2Tech Board Chair Tom Eschner, of TRC Companies, said: “I am looking forward to seeing Marty, with his industry and public policy skills and experience, build on the excellent work of prior Executive Director Melissa Winne, who has been steering the organization through an important time of transition over the past year.  With Marty’s leadership and E2Tech’s strong Board of Directors, the organization will be well-positioned to take on issues of environment and energy in Maine today and into the future.”

Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize-winning psychologist known for his work on behavioral economics and the psychology of decision-making, has said that if one were to design a problem that our minds are not prepared to deal with, it would be climate change. Psychologically, we are not equipped to manage threats so distant, abstract, and disputed and it is challenging for society to comprehend the severe forecasted impacts.

However, climate change is manifesting itself in ways that are local, concrete, and undisputed. Mainers are already experiencing climate change impacts on their homes and businesses. Maine’s average annual temperature has increased by 3ºF in the last 100 years and is expected to increase another 2-3ºF by 2050. This increase in average temperature is also expected to prolong Maine’s warm season (period of time where the average daily temperature is above freezing) by two additional weeks before 2050, with winter warming faster than summer (University of Maine. 2015. Maine’s Climate Future). 

The Gulf of Maine is also warming at an increased rate of 0.4ºF per year, which is faster than 99% of the world’s oceans (Record, N. 2014. Maine waters are warming fast. Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences Transect 6:8-9.). Maine’s average total annual precipitation has increased by 6 inches in the last 100 years (University of Maine. 2015. Maine’s Climate Future). Maine is also seeing a significant increase in extreme precipitation events. This increase in precipitation may exacerbate the acidification occurring in the Gulf of Maine, in addition to other factors. Maine is also expected to see, at minimum, a sea level increase of 0.07 inches per year (NOAA Tides & Currents. 2018. Relative Sea Level Trend-Portland, Maine). 

How will this impact Maine’s economy?

Want to learn more about the economic impacts of climate change?

Join us on Thursday, June 21 at Maple Hill Farm Inn and Conference Center in Hallowell to hear from experts in climate science, economics, fisheries, forestry, agriculture, and development. 

Have you seen it? It's finally here! We have launched a brand new E2Tech website! 

Our website has been fully redesigned with YOU in mind. 

The E2Tech website relaunch is Melissa Winne's inaugural project as Executive Director. Melissa envisioned transforming the E2Tech website into a mobile-compatible, modern site that better reflects our mission and values as Maine’s environmental, energy, technology, and business sector champion. 

E2Tech worked closely with Katharine Wojcik of Adept Creative to design a site with a clean aesthetic, streamlined functionality, simplified navigation, and easier access to information on all things cleantech in Maine. By utilizing a special membership application, we are able to offer mobile-friendly registration and membership functions, so now you can register for events and check your member status right from your phone!

We encourage everyone to visit and explore the site, and keep up with E2Tech news by signing up for the E2Tech Connect newsletter and following us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

If you have any questions or feedback you would like to share with our team, please do so by contacting: Melissa Winne, melissawinne@e2tech.org.

Thank you for Connecting With Us.

Content provided by Stantec.

Stantec is a leading global design and engineering firm committed to designing with community in mind. Stantec’s 22,000 employees in 400 locations across six continents are designers, engineers, scientists, and project managers, innovating together at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. Balancing these priorities results in projects that advance the quality of life in communities across the globe. The firm’s key areas of business include Buildings, Energy & Resources, Environmental Services, Infrastructure, and Water.

Stantec is ranked as a top ten global environmental firm and a top ten global design firm by Engineering News Record. The firm is also ranked as a top ten architecture firm by Architectural Record.

In Maine, the Stantec team holds deep local knowledge and relationships with a presence in two office locations, in Scarborough and Topsham. The firm’s Topsham office serves as Stantec’s environmental hub for New England, and well beyond. From botanists to wildlife biologists, fisheries experts to soil scientists, GIS mappers to wetland scientists, Stantec offers a diverse team of environmental experts with in-depth strategic scientific and regulatory expertise. Coupled with Stantec’s Scarborough office, where engineers focus on a range of projects from bridges and power plants to airports and roadways, the collective team is focused on protecting our natural resources and beautiful landscapes while finding unique ways to showcase all that Maine has to offer.

Working locally in Maine, regionally across New England, and beyond, Stantec has a long-standing history leading projects in the environmental and energy markets. Grounded by safety, quality, and ethics, Stantec is dedicated to delivering tailored solutions for each site.

Among Stantec’s recent work is the Portland Harbor Contained Aquatic Disposal (CAD) Cell project, the first CAD cell project in the State of Maine. Working with the City of Portland, Stantec is the design engineer focused on site investigation and permitting. This project supports waterfront economic development by dredging and disposing sediments from private and public berthing areas located at piers, marinas, and anchorages, some of which have not been dredged in over 70 years. The CAD cell will provide an environmentally responsible and reasonably affordable disposal solution for these berthing areas to regain usable full-tide water depth and navigation access. 

A little farther north, Stantec recently put its commitment to community into action, providing pro bono baseline ecological surveys for the 164-acre Howard Hill conservation area in Augusta, work that established the value of the parcel as worthy of ecological conservation.  The work was done for the Kennebec Land Trust, which gave the land to the City of Augusta with a perpetual conservation easement, for use as a recreational area with trails, picnic areas and views of Maine’s Capitol and the Kennebec River.  With hiking trials accessible from the Capitol grounds, it will be known as the Howard Hill Historical Park.

Stantec is an E2Tech Sustaining Steward and Brooke Barnes is a Member of the E2Tech Board of Directors.

To learn more about the E2Tech Sustaining Partner program, visit our membership page.

On Thursday, May 24, Alexendra Dunn, the new Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 Administrator, visited several locations in Maine to meet with Mainers and discuss important local environmental issues. She concluded her visit by speaking to E2Tech's network at the University of Southern Maine's Portland campus about this administration’s approach to directing the regional office. Administrator Dunn highlighted the following topics, among others:

Administrator Dunn also announced that the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) letters of interest deadline has been extended to July 31, 2018. The WIFIA program has a budget of $5.5 billion to distribute and will finance up to 49% of a water infrastructure project. More information about the WIFIA program can be found at www.epa.gov/wifia.

The EPA Region 1 office is hiring! Visit the EPA website to search for positions through USAJobs.gov.

CEI Wicked Fast Microloans

Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) is offering expedited microloans designed for existing and start-up business owners. Eligible applicants can borrow up to $25,000 for working capital, equipment purchases, or to refinance existing higher cost debt. CEI makes the loan decision within three business days from a 2-page application. 

CLICK HERE to access all CEI business financing options.

Data Innovation Project

The Data Innovation Project is accepting applications for Fall 2018 Data Clinics in September, October, and November. These data clinics are a FREE opportunity for organizations to receive two hours of focused, one-on-one technical assistance around data or performance measurement related issues. 

CLICK HERE to apply to one of the clinics.