USA: Hall Spars and Rigging Supplies Blades for Cobscook Bay Tidal Energy Project

World class composite manufacturing firm Hall Spars and Rigging, known in the yachting industry as a leading provider of spars, rigging and complex composite components for the most competitive and successful yachts in the world, is manufacturing the turbine components for the United States’ first commercial, grid-connected tidal energy project. Maine based Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) is the project’s developer, owner and operator. ORPC also developed the propietary technology used.

Key to ORPC’s TidGen™ turbine generator unit (TGU) design are the all-composite Advanced Design Cross Flow turbines which Hall Spars & Rigging is manufacturing. The TGU is the core component or “engine” for ORPC’s proprietary hydrokinetic device design which captures the energy of moving water without using dams or other barriers. The first TGU featuring four Hall Spars-made turbines was installed at ORPC’s permitted project site in Cobscook Bay, Maine last week.

“We couldn’t have asked for a more innovative and professional turbine manufacturing partner than Hall Spars,” said ORPC’s President & CEO Chris Sauer. “We have no doubt that these turbines will stand up to the challenges of long term deployment in the Bay of Fundy region.”

Hall Spars considers the rigors of the marine environment on a daily basis when designing and manufacturing spars and rigging for the top superyachts in the world. Drawing from that expertise, Hall Spars built ORPC’s turbines with carbon fiber reinforced composites, an ideal material for the loads the turbines will encounter and the marine environment in which they will operate.

 Hall Spars’ Chief Operating Officer Tom Derecktor said “I could not be more proud of the successful deployment of ORPC’s turbines built by Hall Spars. ORPC has been incredible to work with and what they have achieved in Maine is truly visionary. We look forward to future projects with ORPC.”

Recent projects at Hall Spars’ three manufacturing locations in the USA, Netherlands and New Zealand, include the yachts Wally 50m Better Place, Reichel-Pugh 85 My Song, Hoek H-Class Firefly, Baltic 72 Stig, Alia 82 Aiyana, and the Ker 50 Varuna, as well as non-marine composite projects for the aerospace and defense industries. Hall Spars & Rigging has been in business for over 30 years. There is no question that company owners and avid sailors Eric Hall, Ben Hall, and Phil Garland, founded the company based on that love of sailing, and combined it with a driven pursuit of the latest technology.

With the recent addition of Chief Operating Officer, Tom Derecktor (also a sailor and second generation boat builder), in 2011, the Hall Spars & Rigging business model has expanded. Tom has spearheaded the Hall Spars initiative to be a leader in commercial composite projects.

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Offshore WIND staff, August 23, 2012; Image: orpc