Quest for renewable power turns back to water

The powerful flow of the Mississippi River, which brought destruction to scores living near its flooded banks this spring, is viewed by a new generation of energy entrepreneurs as a reliable alternative way to generate electricity.

By ALAN SAYRE
AP Business Writer

The powerful flow of the Mississippi River, which brought destruction to scores living near its flooded banks this spring, is viewed by a new generation of energy entrepreneurs as a reliable alternative way to generate electricity.

These developers aren't planning giant concrete dams like the ones that brought electric lights to many Americans for the first time. Instead, their idea is to put turbines on the bottoms of rivers or mount them on barges to spin generators.

It's all part of the emerging technology of hydrokinetics - using flowing water to generate power without dams.

"If we're going to control the cost of converting to new forms of energy, hydro has to be part of that equation," said Jon Guidroz, project development director for Boston-based Free Flow Power, which wants to generate energy from the Mississippi River.

(More here.)