Since the 1800s Rochester has tapped into the Genesee River for power. But now the city is considering a new technology to light a section of downtown.

Hydrokinetic turbines create power without the burden of dams or heavy infrastructure. The technology could turn rivers and streams across the country into miniature power plants. But so far the turbines have failed to catch on.

As part of our program, Beyond the Light Switch: An Innovation Conversation, we went below Rochester's central library to see how a 19th-century millrace could be brought back to life.