---
title: "Under the Sea, Electricity"
date: 2026-09-04T11:00:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://terp.umd.edu/under-the-sea-electricity"
section: Articles
---
# Under the Sea, Electricity

*September 4, 2026* — by [Chris Carroll](/authors/chris-carroll)


- *Photos by Evan Krape*

> Researcher leads team harvesting electricity from ocean organisms.


**MASSIVE HILLTOP TURBINES** harvesting the wind or black photovoltaic panels soaking up sun on rooftops no longer seem very novel—but what about a device that creates clean energy by scarfing up microscopic seafood?

That’s what UMD environmental science and technology Professor Stephanie Lansing and her multi-institutional team built and sank beneath the waves of the Delaware Bay in July. It’s part of a $7.8 million project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to create offshore electricity for communications equipment, sensors and other low-power devices without extending cables from ships or land.


*Stephanie Lansing points among the wires of a clean energy device*




**Issue:** [Fall 2026](https://terp.umd.edu/editions/fall-2026)


**Types:** [Explorations](https://terp.umd.edu/category/explorations)