Hall Spars’ Turbine Venture
Hall Spars – a leading spar, rigging and complex composite component supplier for suepryachts – takes a step in a new direction. The company is manufacturing 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 proprietary technology used in the project.
Hall Spars‘ all-composite Advanced Design Cross Flow turbines are key to ORPC’s TidGen turbine generator unit (TGU) design. 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.”
When Hall Spars designs and manufactures spars and rigging for top superyachts around the world, they consider the rigors of the marine environment on a daily basis. Drawing from that expertise, Hall Spars built ORPC’s turbines with carbon fibre 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: “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.
Hall Spars & Rigging produces seamless, carbon-fiber spars for boats from 40 feet LOA to superyachts. They are innovation leaders in high-performance spars, pioneering the combination of autoclave curing and seamless carbon construction. Hall Spars & Rigging has three complete manufacturing centers on three continents, as well as a sales and service operation based in Italy. Additionally, the Hall Spars & Rigging store sells the latest in high-performance hardware and rope, prepared by experts in sailboat rigging.