Hydropower Demand Rises in Great Lakes Amid Clean Energy Policy Shifts
As the Trump administration clamps down on clean energy subsidies, demand for hydropower is surging across the Great Lakes region. This area, home to one of the world's largest freshwater deposits, is poised to host next-generation hydroelectric generators just as electricity prices are being hiked significantly throughout the United States.
Submersible Technology Expands to Urban Centers
Submersible hydroelectric technology deployed across the Great Lakes could become a key component in clean energy efforts, according to supporters. The region, which includes major cities like Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, and Detroit, faces growing electricity demand. While the five Great Lakes lack significant tides or currents, several connecting waterways offer substantial potential.
Last month, the Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC), which has operated projects in Alaska and Maine, announced its first urban venture on the St. Lawrence River in Montreal. The project is set to begin operating two hydroelectric devices later this year.
"The St. Lawrence River is one of the best opportunities in North America for our technology because it has consistent, high-velocity water for hundreds of miles. In the Montreal area, there's 60-90 megawatts of resource potential alone," says ORPC's CEO, Stuart Davies. "The Niagara River and the St. Lawrence River are big, powerful rivers driven by the hydrology of the lakes draining out."
Global Trends and North American Catch-Up
Current- and tidal-powered hydroelectric generators have gained popularity and efficiency worldwide. In Scotland, the most powerful tidal generator can power up to 2,000 homes, while Korea's Sihwa Lake station generates about 550 gigawatt-hours annually, equivalent to 862,000 barrels of oil.
North America is now catching up. Orbital Marine Power, behind the Scotland project, plans to deploy up to three O2-X tidal devices in Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy. ORPC is also expected to start a second Great Lakes project on the Niagara River in Buffalo, New York, later this year.
Electricity Price Surges and Industrial Demand
The rise in marine power generation coincides with significant electricity price increases across the Great Lakes. Last September, the New York public service commission approved rate hikes, hitting residents in western New York, including Buffalo, with higher bills. More increases are scheduled for later this year and in 2027.
Similar trends affect millions in Michigan and Ohio, where data centers are creating divisions between public administrators and communities. Davies notes that while data centers' demands exceed ORPC's device output of half a megawatt to five megawatts, the technology has business applications.
"If you're an industrial customer and you're thinking about the growth of AI... We can be that 24/7 electricity resource that's part of a baseload in normal times and if the grid goes down for some reason, that river still runs," he says. "You're going to have that level of emergency power."
Challenges and Environmental Concerns
Despite potential, these efforts face challenges and controversy. While Montreal and Quebec have a culture of hydropower leading to low-cost electricity, U.S. Great Lakes cities and states lack this, with hydroelectric facilities taking an average of eight years to license.
Environmentalists express concern over turbines in waterways home to diverse fish and wildlife. "With regard to hydrokinetic energy in general, we are not opposed to it at all. Responsible, sustainable energy sources need to be encouraged," says Anne KC McCooey of the Black Rock Riverside Alliance in Buffalo. "However, the key word is responsible. You can't put something up just for the sake of harnessing the energy, while at the same time doing harm [or potentially doing harm] to the environment."
ORPC reports no fish injuries at its Alaska site, where turbines have operated since 2019 on a waterway with tens of millions of migrating salmon. Environmental factors also influence suitability; fast-flowing rivers like the St. Lawrence and Niagara are ideal, while upstream links are slower-moving.
Innovations and Future Prospects
Scientists are developing technologies to harness energy from slower waters. Michael Bernitsas, a professor at the University of Michigan, has tested Vivace, a device that generates power from water moving as slow as half a meter per second in the St. Clair River.
"The current there gets to about 2.3 to 2.5 knots, which is pretty slow for turbine technologies. But it's very easy for Vivace to harness that power," he says. The devices use oscillating cylinders to generate kinetic energy and can be scaled for various projects.
Operating in freshwater reduces corrosion issues common in ocean-based projects, lowering costs. Some tidal projects in northern Europe anchor to riverbeds, avoiding winter ice problems. ORPC's Alaska project saves Igiugig village nearly 23,000 gallons of diesel annually and plans similar approaches.
Davies mentions a planned project on the lower Mississippi River for late next year. "The biggest challenge is just the lack of awareness of our solution, but that's really flipped in the last nine months. We still keep our 40-50% tax credit, while wind and solar equivalents are sunsetting," he says, referring to Trump's elimination of Biden-era subsidies. According to the National Hydropower Association, marine energy tax credits remain until at least 2033.
"All of a sudden, our relative competitiveness has changed dramatically. We've had a lot more interest. Entities from over 70 countries have reached out to inquire about the technology," Davies adds.
