{"id":840,"date":"2025-06-17T15:52:25","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T15:52:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/?p=840"},"modified":"2025-06-17T15:52:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T15:52:25","slug":"goodbye-to-energy-dependence-alaska-discovers-more-than-1100-twh-hidden-under-the-ice-and-the-find-could-change-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/goodbye-to-energy-dependence-alaska-discovers-more-than-1100-twh-hidden-under-the-ice-and-the-find-could-change-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Goodbye to energy dependence \u2013 Alaska discovers more than 1,100 TWh hidden under the ice, and the find could change the world"},"content":{"rendered":"

Move Over Solar and Wind\u2014There\u2019s a New Renewable Power Source Flowing Under the Ice<\/h3>\n

For years, the United States has been chasing the dream of energy independence. From offshore drilling to wind\u00a0farms<\/a>\u00a0and desert solar arrays, every strategy has aimed to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and foreign oil. But what if the future of clean, constant energy isn\u2019t in the sky\u2014or under the earth\u2014but under\u00a0frozen rivers in Alaska<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

Yes, you read that right. Beneath the ice-covered surface of rivers like the Yukon, water flows year-round. And with it, an invisible, powerful current of\u00a0renewable hydrokinetic energy<\/strong>\u2014an untapped resource that could reshape how remote communities, and possibly the nation, power their lives.<\/p>\n

What Is Hydrokinetic Energy\u2014and Why Should You Care?<\/h2>\n

Unlike dams that flood valleys or wind farms that depend on gusty weather,\u00a0hydrokinetic energy<\/strong>\u00a0captures the natural flow of water without disrupting the environment. Special turbines are placed underwater, spinning silently as rivers flow past them\u2014even when those rivers are sealed under ice for months at a time.<\/p>\n

The star of this story? A new technology called the\u00a0Reactive Reversible Blade Turbine (RRBT)<\/strong>, which can generate electricity in slow-moving, ice-covered rivers. Developed with support from the\u00a0University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and backed by a $1.5 million U.S. Department of Energy grant, these turbines are being tested in Alaska\u2019s Tanana River right now.<\/p>\n

Why Frozen Rivers Are the Perfect Power Plants<\/h2>\n

Rivers like the Yukon continue to flow beneath thick layers of ice, even during brutal Alaskan winters. That means they offer something solar and wind can\u2019t:\u00a0constant, year-round power<\/strong>. In regions where the sun disappears for weeks and the wind dies down, this uninterrupted energy flow is a game-changer.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just theoretical. According to UAF research, U.S. rivers could generate more than\u00a01,100 terawatt-hours (TWh) of renewable electricity each year<\/strong>\u2014roughly\u00a0a third of America\u2019s total electricity consumption<\/strong>. That\u2019s:<\/p>\n