UNH Ocean Seminar

Installation, Operation, and Maintenance of the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project

Erwin Fuentes and Leighton Paradis
Sr. Marine Systems Engineers

Verdant Power

Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, 3:10pm
Chase 105
Abstract

Tidal energy remains a largely untapped source of renewable energy. Unlike other types of renewables, tidal energy production is extremely predictable and therefore can be forecasted years in advance with high accuracy. Verdant Power has operated tidal energy devices at the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) site since 2002. Most recently in 2020, Verdant Power deployed three Gen5d turbines on a novel TriFrame™ mounting system at RITE. The system delivered over 300 MWh to the NYC grid – a record for US marine energy. The deployment, operation, and maintenance of the system provided valuable lessons that will be integral in the commercialization of tidal energy technology.

Bio

Erwin Fuentes is a Sr. Marine Systems Engineer involved in numerous areas at Verdant including technology assembly & integration, on-water operations & planning, and overall system performance. He has also focused on data analysis and evaluation in multiple areas of interest in Marine Energy including power performance, system efficiency, and more. He holds a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University.

Leighton Paradis is a Sr. Marine Systems Engineer working in all aspects of tidal energy development at Verdant Power. He has experience in turbine assembly, environmental compatibility evaluation, structural performance, and other areas. Leighton obtained a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from UCLA and a master’s degree in Ocean Engineering from Texas A&M University prior to joining the Verdant Power team.