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Early 1980s
Motivated to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, inventor Dan Schneider works with friends from Texas A&M to find new ways to generate renewable energy, inspiring his children, Gia and Abe, at a young age
Early 1990s
As teens, siblings Gia and Abe Schneider discover
the positive ecological benefit beaver dams can have on river health
2009
Gia and Abe Schneider co-found Natel Energy, supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy
2010
Natel commissions first pilot project, “Buckeye,”
featuring first generation hydro turbine
2011
Natel conducts first hydrologic tests at Alden Research Laboratory
2013
Natel commissions onsite performance hydraulic scale-model test
2015
Natel commissions first commercial project for Apple
2016
Natel commissions second commercial
project using second-generation turbine
2017
Natel acquires Upstream Tech, author of HydroForecast watershed intelligence software
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2019
Natel unveils the fish-safe Restoration Hydro Turbine
2019
Natel installs the first Restoration Hydro Turbine at The Mill in Freedom, Maine
March 2020
Natel announces $11M funding close with
Schneider Electric Ventures and Breakthrough Energy Ventures
Fall 2020
Natel and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) conduct hydro turbine passage tests with rainbow trout; results show 100% immediate and 48-hour survival for through-turbine passage
December 2020
Natel commissions Monroe Hydropower Project in Culver, Oregon, utilizing a utility-scale Restoration Hydro Turbine
JULY 2021
Natel announces $20M Series B funding with
Breakthrough Energy Ventures to continue growing modern hydropower
AUGUST 2021
Natel and PNNL conduct through-turbine passage tests with American eels; results show 100% immediate and 48-hour survival
SEPTEMBER 2021
Natel and Kleinschmidt Associates conduct hydro turbine passage tests with juvenile alewife; results show 98-100% survival, measured immediately and after 48 hours
September 2021
Natel announces project to add 80 MW of renewable power to Louisiana’s Red River at three existing non-powered dams
JUNE 2022
Natel and PNNL conduct turbine passage tests with adult rainbow trout, resulting in >99% safe passage of some of the largest fish ever successfully passed through a compact hydro turbine.
August 2022
The scientific journal Transactions of the American Fisheries Society publishes Natel's peer-reviewed study showing 100% safe passage of the endangered American eel through the Restoration Hydro Turbine.
December 2022
Natel and MyHydro announce, at the US-Africa Business Forum, their contract to install Natel’s turbines in the first of 33 potential projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The first project will generate 4.5 MW on the Lubi River.
december 2022
Natel Energy commissions first European hydropower project. Located on a tributary to the River Mur in Graz, Austria, the Sauerbrunn Hydro Project is expected to generate up to 100 MWh annually.
