.png)
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 discover
the positive ecological benefit beaver dams can have on river health.
2009
Gia Schneider and Abe Schneider co-found Natel Energy, supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
2010
Buckeye pilot project
features Natel's first-generation hydro turbine.
2011
Natel conducts first hydrologic tests at Alden Research Laboratory.
2013
Natel commissions on-site hydraulic test facility.
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 first FishSafe™ Restoration Hydro Turbine (RHT).
2019
Natel installs the first RHT at The Mill at Freedom Falls in Freedom, Maine.
March 2020
Natel announces $11M funding close with
Schneider Electric Ventures and Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
Fall 2020
Natel commissions Monroe Hydropower Project in Culver, Oregon, utilizing a utility-scale FishSafe™ RHT.
Fall 2020
Natel and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) conduct RHT passage tests with rainbow trout; results show 100% immediate and 48-hour survival for through-turbine passage.
JULY 2021
Natel announces $20M Series B funding with
Breakthrough Energy Ventures to continue growing modern FishSafe™ hydropower.
JUNE 2022
Natel and PNNL conduct turbine passage tests with large adult rainbow trout, resulting in >98% survival for 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 conducted with PNNL; results show 100% immediate and 48-hour survival.
OCTOBER 2022
Austrian utility Energie Steiermark opens the Sauerbrunn Hydro Project, featuring the first fully-submersible RHT and the first RHT to operate in Europe.
March 2023
North American Journal of Fisheries Management publishes a peer-reviewed study by Natel and Kleinschmidt Associates; results show 98-100% survival of juvenile alewife passing through a 55cm-diameter RHT, measured immediately and after 48 hours.
June 2023
RHT design envelope expands to 40 m (130 ft) head & >99 m3/s (>3500 cfs) flow, meeting needs of 50% of hydro fleet
