The deployment of in-stream flow-energy converters in rivers is an opportunity to expand the renewable energy portfolio and limit carbon emissions. Device performance and lifetime, environmental conservation, and the safety of fluvial communities against flood events, however, present unresolved challenges. In particular, we need to understand how multiple submerged hydrokinetic turbines interact with the sediment bed and whether existing technologies can be deployed in morphodynamically active natural rivers. Here, we present a scaled demonstration of a hydrokinetic turbine power plant deployed in a quasi-field-scale channel with sediment transport and migrating bedforms. We measure high-frequency sediment flux, the spatiotemporally resolved bathymetry and the turbine model performance. We find that with opportune siting, kinetic energy can be extracted efficiently without compromising the geomorphic equilibrium of the river and the structural safety of the turbine foundation, even in the presence of large migrating dunes, thus paving the way for harnessing sustainable and renewable energy in rivers.

在河流中部署流内流能转换器是扩大可再生能源组合和限制碳排放的机会。然而，设备的性能和使用寿命，环境保护以及河流社区抵御洪水事件的安全性，都带来了尚未解决的挑战。特别是，我们需要了解多个浸没式水力涡轮机如何与沉积物床相互作用，以及现有技术是否可以部署在形态动力活跃的天然河流中。在这里，我们展示了一个水动力涡轮发电厂的规模化演示，该发电厂部署在具有泥沙输送和迁移床形的准田间规模的河道中。我们测量高频泥沙通量，时空解析测深和涡轮机模型性能。我们发现，通过适当的选址，