Northern communities like Igiugig, Alaska, are increasingly looking to renewable energy instead of diesel to power microgrids.

The river ripples over the turbine, which spins like a helix between bright blue pontoon floats. But it’s not floating. The electricity-generating rig is all underwater — anchored about 15 feet beneath the surface.

The Kvichak River in southwestern Alaska hosts the largest sockeye salmon run in the world, bringing in millions of dollars from commercial fishing and attracting sport fishers to one of the premier locations in the state. The river has provided subsistence for Alaska Native peoples for thousands of years.

And now it’s also home to a turbine that generates energy for Igiugig, an Alaska Native village of 70 people on the river’s banks. Read more at ArcticToday.