ACEP studies river energy to support McGrath’s energy future
Tvetene Carlson, left, and Lydia Andriesen take flow measurements under the ice with underwater acoustic instruments on the Kuskokwim River in McGrath, Alaska in January 2026.
May 5, 2026
Marine energy researchers at UAF’s Alaska Center for Energy and Power are studying how river energy could help provide reliable electricity for remote microgrid communities in Alaska. As part of that effort, a team led by Eloise Petrone Brown visited McGrath in late March for community meetings and winter fieldwork on the Kuskokwim River.
Residents of McGrath have identified reliable power and reduced diesel fuel use as top priorities for their future in order to support both the health of the ecosystem and future generations.
In response, the City of McGrath requested assistance from UAF to understand whether river energy could offset a portion of annual diesel fuel consumption by the power plant or water treatment plant.
ACEP graduate student Lydia Andriesen checks her data from a field laptop on the back of a snowmachine in McGrath in January 2026.
The ACEP team is evaluating river conditions during the summer open-water season and in winter beneath the layer of ice that covers the river surface for about six months each year. These winter conditions are typical for many Alaska rivers north of the Alaska Range, including the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers.
The team recently completed a on the upper Kuskokwim River near McGrath. The study assessed the available river energy and identified locations where future river energy development could help meet the community’s energy needs. This study is available to the public in the U.S. Department of Energy’s .
Â鶹¹ÙÍøers are now evaluating river flow speeds beneath the ice during winter. This research is the subject of UAF mechanical engineering student Lydia Andriesen’s master’s thesis.
Community meetings provided useful insights for both researchers and community members, deepening understanding of local perceptions of marine energy and risks to subsistence lifestyle through collision risk with fish.
McGrath community observers Benjamin Peirce and Gabriel Sturm measure river flow with a hand-held current meter in March 2026.
This collaborative exchange is part of a broader community-led energy planning effort in McGrath, which has developed a community energy plan to understand how to effectively incorporate renewable energy into the microgrid. The energy committee is exploring the use of river energy year-round to supplement the McGrath microgrid and is actively seeking marine energy technology developers interested in a demonstration project.
Other ACEP members involved in this study include Stephanie Fisher, Leo Azizi and Paul Duvoy, with assistance from Tvetene Carlson, an fellow. The study is funded by the U.S. DOE’s program.
The community energy planning effort in McGrath is being led by the City of McGrath Energy Committee in partnership with the McGrath Native Village Council and the local utility McGrath Light and Power, a subsidiary of the Alaska Native corporation – McGrath, Takotna, Nikolai, Telida. As part of this effort, a community energy plan was developed with support from the U.S. DOE program offered through the .