Canada has always run on water. In the 19th-century, thousands of communities developed around the textile, grist and saw mills that harnessed water power from rivers. Today, hydro generates about 60 percent of the country’s electricity. But as demand strains the grid more with each passing year, could the dams that once served those now-dormant mills provide a new source of power? That’s the vision of Andrew Murray and his startup, Aslan Renewables. During COVID lockdowns, Murray went on long walks with his father throughout rural P.E.I., where his father pointed out the untapped potential of the dams they passed. Murray seized on the idea and developed a compact, modular turbine system that used the elevation of these dams to generate reliable, clean energy. In this episode, Murray discusses our current energy crisis, why small-scale local power generation is so vital and how he’s transforming timeworn infrastructure into a technology of the future.

Featured in this episode:

Andrew Murray is the founder and CEO of Aslan Renewables. He was previously co-owner of the Shelby Water Group, a ship chandlery and logistics company, and CEO of Broadside9, a global customer acquisition agency. In 2025, Aslan was recognized as a leader in energy-transition innovation at the Climate Impact Innovation Challenge in Singapore.

Further reading:

P.E.I. power customers could see rotating outages to prevent total blackouts this winter
Blackout: Canada’s impending electricity crisis and how to fix it
Milling through history
What if thousands of unused dams in Canada could generate power again?
Could Trump risk century-old Canada-U.S. electricity system?

Solve for X is brought to you by MaRS, North America’s largest urban innovation hub and a registered charity. MaRS supports startups and accelerates the adoption of high-impact solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges. For more information, visit marsdd.com.