A green energy project using innovative water turbines will generate renewable power from the current of the St Lawrence River.

The Ontario Government-funded project, located near Cornwall, will turn the river's strong current into 15 megawatts of clean energy, enough to power 11,000 average-sized homes.

It is the latest example of how the government is actively supporting renewable energy and innovation as the province moves away from coal to sustainable power.

The turbine looks like an underwater windmill. Installed on the floor of the river, the turbine taps into the power of the river's current to generate clean electricity. The turbine blades rotate slowly allowing fish to pass through safely with minimal environmental impact.

Burlington-based Verdant Power Canada will install their Free Flow™ Turbine technology to test the feasibility of using it on a larger scale.

Verdant estimates that there is enough potential power in the water currents of Canada's tides, rivers and manmade channels to generate 15,000 megawatts of clean electricity using its technology — enough to power over 11 million average-sized homes.

Ontario is investing $2.2 million in this project under the Innovation Demonstration Fund, which supports promising bio-based, environmental and alternative energy technologies