Natel's EcoSmartHydro™ Power

Beaver pond
To halt the decline of an ecosystem, it is necessary to think like an ecosystem.
~ Douglas P. Wheeler, EPA Journal

Natel's SLH technology is designed to meet the operational constraints that have kept most low head sites from being developed, and generate power at lower costs over a wide range of flow rates. The SLH opens a completely new potential for hydropower development currently inaccessible by conventional hydropower technologies. We have developed an entirely new paradigm for hydropower development called LARS, or Linear Accounted Reservoir Systems. LARS is an important innovation that takes into account the full environmental, social and economic footprint of a hydropower project. The goal of LARS is to evaluate the optimal way to utilize a watershed to produce the maximum electricity while maintaining critical ecosystem functions and flooding the least amount of land. Some of our initial studies show the potential to generate 80% of the power of a proposed high dam, while flooding less than 5% of the land, and maintaining load responsiveness by incorporating strategic pumped storage peaking facilities.

The end result of applying the LARS concept is EcoSmartHydro™ Power. EcoSmartHydro™ Power is Natel's vision of hydropower systems that works within watershed ecosystems to use water to produce electricity while still maintaining primary water purposes:

  • Meeting ecosystem requirements
  • Meeting human consumptive needs
  • Meeting agricultural needs
  • Providing for recreational use

Fish passage is one key element in meeting ecosystem needs, and Natel's technology operates in a highly fish friendly manner. Blades move at half the speed of the water flowing past them; pressure changes in the SLH are gentle and within the range of fish livability; and finally, water flows in a smooth, linear path through the SLH.

While fish passage is clearly a priority for in-stream operations, we believe in innovating technology that goes above and beyond the simple code of minimizing impact. We aim to create products that will enable hydropower in the future to work in conjunction with water systems to enhance the health of our watersheds. Again, we look to our natural analogue—beaver dams. Beaver used to be native and abundant across the majority of the U.S., particularly in the rich watersheds of the Mississippi River drainage. Beaver dams create small ponds and associated wetlands, which provide habitat for a diverse ecosystem while also performing several critical functions—increasing ground water recharge, trapping sediment and nutrients, slowing down runoff after rains.

Natel believes that a series of responsibly sited and designed low dams spread across a watershed and equipped with SLH engines will generate new renewable, reliable energy and deliver a multitude of co-benefits through the creation of small ponds and wetlands. We believe these benefits include: flood mitigation, nutrient pollutant filtration, increased ground water recharge and water storage, habitat creation for fish, wetland creation and enhancement, and sediment storage.

We are in the early stages of identifying a first EcoSmart Hydro project in the Midwest U.S. and welcome inquiries from interested parties.