Beneath the surface of the Great Lakes, a quiet revolution in clean energy is taking shape. Submersible hydroelectric turbines, once a niche technology, are being deployed in the powerful rivers that drain this vast freshwater system, offering a potential new source of reliable, renewable power for the bustling cities on its shores.
The push comes at a critical time. Electricity demand in the region is surging, driven in part by the explosive growth of energy-hungry data centres needed for artificial intelligence. Concurrently, households and industries are facing sharp increases in their bills; in western New York, including Buffalo, significant electricity rate hikes have been approved with more scheduled, while utilities like National Grid are implementing multi-year rate increase plans. This combination of rising demand and cost has sharpened the focus on alternative, localised power sources.
Technologically, the field is advancing on two fronts. The first involves turbine-based systems, like those deployed by the Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC). Their devices use carbon fibre turbines, resembling push lawnmower blades, which are turned by the flow of water. These are designed for rivers with consistent, high-velocity currents. The second, more novel approach is emerging from the University of Michigan, where Professor Michael Bernitsas has developed VIVACE (Vortex Induced Vibration for Aquatic Clean Energy). This technology harnesses energy from water moving as slow as half a metre per second using cylinders that oscillate up and down as currents pass, generating kinetic energy without the need for fast-flowing water or dams.
Harnessing the Flow: From Montreal to Mississippi
The first major urban application of this technology in the region is now underway. ORPC has announced its first urban venture on the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, with two devices set to begin operating this year. The company’s CEO, Stuart Davies, calls the river “one of the best opportunities in North America” for their technology, estimating 60-90 megawatts of resource potential in the Montreal area alone. A second ORPC project is expected on a section of the Niagara River in Buffalo, New York, later this year.
Beyond the Great Lakes watershed, ORPC is also planning a project on the lower Mississippi River, potentially between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, for late next year. There, it is collaborating with Shell Technology – Marine Renewable Program on a demonstration of its modular RivGen Power System, designed for lower velocity sites, to provide baseload electricity for onshore facilities.
The freshwater environment of the Great Lakes offers a distinct engineering advantage: the absence of salt means corrosion is minimised, allowing materials to last longer and reducing costs. Furthermore, projects can be anchored to riverbeds, mitigating issues with surface ice in winter.
Environmental Balance and Regulatory Hurdles
However, the presence of spinning turbines in waterways teeming with wildlife has prompted careful scrutiny. Environmental advocates like Anne KC McCooey of the Black Rock Riverside Alliance in Buffalo stress that while sustainable energy should be encouraged, it must be done responsibly, without harming the environment. The key concerns are the potential for fish to be injured by turbine blades—a process known as entrainment or impingement.
ORPC points to its record at a site in Alaska, where its turbines have operated since 2019 on a waterway used by tens of millions of migrating sockeye salmon, with no recorded fish injuries. The company’s project in Igiugig, Alaska, which features the longest operating marine energy device in the Americas, also displaces significant diesel use from the local microgrid. Professor Bernitsas asserts that his VIVACE technology, which causes cylinders to oscillate rather than spin, is considered more environmentally compatible with aquatic life.
A significant barrier to wider adoption in the United States is the regulatory process. While administrative authorities in Montreal and Quebec have a longstanding culture of deploying hydropower, in the US it takes an average of eight years for a hydroelectricity facility to become fully licensed. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission oversees a complex process that integrates environmental review, which can deter rapid deployment.
Political and economic factors are also shaping the landscape. According to the National Hydropower Association, investment and production tax credits for marine energy in the US will remain in place until at least 2033. Stuart Davies notes this has improved his technology’s competitiveness, especially as federal subsidies for solar and wind energy ventures, established during the Biden administration, have been eliminated by the Trump administration, which has also cancelled billions in clean energy grants.
For developers, the ultimate promise of this submersible technology is its constancy. “We can be that 24/7 electricity resource that’s part of a baseload,” says Davies, highlighting its potential role for industrial customers and as emergency power. As electricity demands evolve and policy winds shift, the steady, relentless flow of the Great Lakes’ connecting rivers may become an increasingly vital component of North America’s energy mosaic.
