Voith has announced that one of its StreamDiver eco-friendly turbine’s is to be installed on the St. Joseph River near downtown South Bend, Indiana, as part of the University of Notre Dame’s campus sustainability plan that is designed to eliminate the use of coal in Notre Dame's power plant by 2020, and cut its carbon footprint by more than half by 2030.

The StreamDiver – which is specifically designed for places where traditional large hydropower is not possible – is to be installed in the Seitz Park area, which  has high water quality, migratory fish and is also used for recreation.

The StreamDiver is completely oil-free and is designed to operate under the low head conditions present at this site. The hydropower facility in South Bend will be mostly underground, hidden beneath the park, and will not change the aesthetics of the area with the exception of a small building on the surface that will house some of the control equipment and other minor features that will be worked into the overall park renovation.

“We are pleased to bring the StreamDiver technology to the St. Joseph River area and to help Notre Dame accomplish its sustainability goals. Notre Dame has been an active partner in this project and we have been working with their engineers to help make this project a success,” said Bob Gallo, President and CEO of Voith Hydro United States.

The small hydropower facility is part of Notre Dame’s efforts to implement its ongoing energy sustainability plan. The transmission lines, also underground, will run from the dam to campus, and generate seven percent of Notre Dame's electrical needs.

"The University is excited once again to harness the power of the St. Joseph River using the dam located in downtown South Bend. This area has long served as the focus of industry, development and activity throughout the history of South Bend and the region,” said Paul A. Kempf, Senior Director of Utilities and Maintenance for Notre Dame. “Adding hydropower to an increasingly diversified campus energy portfolio will provide energy reliability and security to the research and academic mission of the University."

Construction will begin later this year and the facility should be fully operational by mid-2019.