Hydropower reimagined for the changing climate.

what We Do

At Natel, we’re creating a new kind of climate-resilient hydropower that prioritizes biodiversity alongside renewable energy generation. Using river restoration techniques, fish-safe hydro turbines, and the most accurate AI-powered hydro forecasting tools available, we are accelerating the global transition to a renewable energy future one waterway at a time.

OuR Mission

We're working to expedite the energy transition with modern hydropower that supports biodiversity and healthy rivers.

Climate change is water change, and as the water cycle changes, water infrastructure must adapt. We are accelerating the global transition to renewable energy by developing climate-resilient hydropower plants that maintain or improve ecosystem health, while delivering reliable, renewable power.

Alex Conn working in the yard
OuR Values

We believe clean energy development should prioritize both environmental and social prosperity.

Our projects and technology protect and restore the planet, while enhancing the wellbeing of the people who live here.

Our Story

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

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

Restoration Hydro Turbine installed in Monroe, Oregon.
JULY 2021

Natel announces $20M Series B funding with
Breakthrough Energy Ventures to continue growing modern hydropower

Abe Schneider holds an eel.
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.

Meet our team

We are entrepreneurs and technologists from top engineering, energy and finance firms, passionate about climate solutions.

Learn More