
As cheap and renewable sources of power continue to rise in demand, one inventor in Tennessee is attempting to capitalize on the green rush by developing an entirely new water turbine, The Associated Press reports.
According to the news source, Geoff Greene has created and begun testing of the first Greene turbine in the Mississippi River in Memphis with high expectations.
"It's too simple. It has to work," Greene told the media outlet.
After the test showed that the 18-foot diameter turbine spun just as Greene hoped it would and generated a small amount of power, Green and his associate Pete Moss developed a business plan that they hope investors will jump on. The duo need $5 million to build the 34-foot "hydrokinetic" turbines that cost $150,000 each.
The technology is based on an old process of using moving water to generate power, but rather than building expensive dams or power plants, Greene hopes his turbine will keep costs to a minimum.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, hydrokinetic energy involves using any movement of water, such as tides or river currents, to generate electricity, and could feasibly power 67 million homes.

