Natel Energy

Distributed, baseload, renewable hydropower

  • Project Development
  • Products
    • Turbines
    • Digital Solutions
  • Sustainability
    • Fish Passage
    • Restoration Hydro™
  • About
  • News
  • Careers
  • Contact

Beyond Earth Day: The Everyday Practice of Developing More Sustainable Hydropower

April 22, 2022

Originally posted on LinkedIn, April 22, 2022

By Gia Schneider

As we approach Earth Day, I want to share a bit of background on Natel’s effort to reimagine hydropower as a tool that can deliver reliable renewable energy, while also supporting and improving river ecosystems around the world.

Hydropower is already the world’s largest source of renewable energy, but to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius, the amount of power generated from water must double over the next thirty years. To do this, we need hydropower solutions that prioritize biodiversity alongside renewable energy production. 

Historically, hydro projects have been responsible for fragmenting rivers, destroying habitat, and displacing communities, but it doesn’t have to be this way. New hydro projects — including repowering aging plants, and adding power to existing dams currently used for flood control, navigation or irrigation — should preserve or improve river connectivity, rather than impeding it. 

At Natel, we’ve designed an innovative solution giving fish and other aquatic life the same measure of attention we give to efficient renewable energy generation; we call it the fish-safe Restoration Hydro Turbine (RHT). Working with scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Kleinschmidt Associates, we’ve performed studies to understand how fish pass through the RHT. The studies confirmed that the RHT can safely pass key migratory fish including eel, herring, trout with survival rates greater than 99% — comparable to what fish experience when traversing natural river systems. 

A fish-safe turbine like the RHT is just one component of more sustainable hydropower. We envision coupling the RHT with river restoration practices to replenish groundwater, restore habitat such as wetlands, stabilize eroding river banks, and support ecosystems that enable communities to thrive. 

For our team at Natel, Earth Day is not something we turn our attention to just once a year. It is a reminder of the importance of our team’s shared daily endeavor to build the sustainable world in which we want to live. Through innovative engineering, rigorous scientific validation, and conscientious collaboration, we can do our part to address climate change and preserve biodiversity — giving us reason to celebrate our Earth year-round.

Filed Under: Blog/media

Highlights

Natel’s Fish Testing Lab Makes Fast Company’s 2022 World Changing Ideas List

Natel’s Fish Testing Lab Makes Fast Company’s 2022 World Changing Ideas List

Beyond Earth Day: The Everyday Practice of Developing More Sustainable Hydropower

Beyond Earth Day: The Everyday Practice of Developing More Sustainable Hydropower

Natel Newsletter, Q1, 2022

Natel Newsletter, Q1, 2022

Gia Schneider Selected as One of Grist’s 50 Fixers

Gia Schneider Selected as One of Grist’s 50 Fixers

Contact

Natel Energy, Inc.
2401 Monarch Street
Alameda, CA 94501, USA

Tel 510.342.5269
Fax 866.710.5144

Downloads RHT Product Brochure
Restoration Hydro Overview ISO Certification Careers

Connect

Enter your email to subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter. (View archive)
linkedinvimeovimeoUnreasonable Company

© 2022 · Natel Energy · All rights reserved.

TermsPrivacy

  • Project Development
  • Products
    • Turbines
    • Digital Solutions
    • Back
  • Sustainability
    • Fish Passage
    • Restoration Hydro™
    • Back
  • About
  • News
  • Careers
  • Contact