TIME Features Natel: Meet the Siblings Making Hydropower That Actually Protects Rivers and Fish

The company will install up to 90 of its Restoration Hydro Turbines at three non-powered dams

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Sept. 28, 2021 — Natel Energy, a supplier of sustainable hydropower solutions, announced today it will develop, finance and construct three non-powered dam sites along Louisiana’s Red River in partnership with Nelson Energy, a Minneapolis-based firm that has successfully developed and licensed over $250 million of hydroelectric projects in the U.S. With Nelson Energy as an advisory partner, Natel will install between 60 and 90 of its flagship product, the Restoration Hydro Turbine (RHT), to retrofit three existing dams and add 80 MW of renewable power to the grid — enough energy to power 35,960 average US homes each year.

TechCrunch LIVE spoke with Natel’s Gia Schneider and Breakthrough Energy Ventures' Libby Wayman. Watch the full interview here.

The results of the study demonstrate that the RHT, which is designed for fish safety, is an effective way to pass juvenile alosines downstream at hydropower facilities.