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Glen Marquis, 36Project Development Manager
Ocean Renewable Power Company
“Pretty cool.â€Â
Co-workers rarely hand out such high praise, but Glen Marquis surely earned it.
Marquis, 36, works for Ocean Renewable Power Co. as project development manager for the Cobscook Bay Tidal Energy Project being installed off Lubec and Eastport. When completed and connected to the Bangor Hydro grid, it will be the first commercial-scale project of its kind in North America.
“Glen is a humble guy,†wrote Tuck O’Brien, the colleague who nominated Marquis for the award, “but it is not an overstatement to say he is poised to be the project development manager of the first commercial tidal electricity project in U.S. history, which is pretty cool.â€Â
Marquis, who grew up in Gorham, graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in environmental science and policy. He lives in Saco with his wife and three young daughters. They attend the First Parish Congregational Church, where he participates in volunteer activities.
Marquis is not what you’d call an environmental activist, but he said his education and work history have made him “sensitive to environmental issues and climate change. I have been fortunate to have had professional opportunities that engage those interests.â€Â
Marquis has managed the Cobscook project for more than three years, working closely with local communities and stakeholders to build support for the undertaking.
“In many ways the success of the project has become as much about the community partnerships as the technology of the turbines,†wrote O’Brien. “ Upon full buildout, the project will be a significant source of clean energy as well as an economic engine sorely needed in Washington County.â€Â
Marquis and his co-workers at Ocean Renewable Power Co., O’Brien said, have “literally created the process that will be used to permit tidal energy projects in years to come.â€Â
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