PRESS

Natel Wins Bronze in Clean Energy Company of 2022 and RHT is Finalist in Pioneer in New Technology at The Cleanie Awards®

February 22, 2023

Today, The Cleanie Awards® announced that Natel Energy won bronze in the 2022 Clean Energy Startup Company of the Year category. Natel’s Restoration Hydro Turbine was also recognized as a 2022 Pioneer in New Technology award finalist.

The Cleanie Awards are the leading awards program focused on recognizing innovators and those making an impact on the clean energy industry. In the Clean Energy Startup Company of the Year category, Natel was recognized for making its mark in the clean energy economy by creating breakthrough innovation and growth.

Natel Energy is expediting the energy transition with modern, sustainable hydropower that supports healthy rivers. Natel both designs FishSafe™ turbines and develops hydropower sites with an emphasis on nature-based solutions. The Restoration Hydro Turbine is a FishSafe, high-performance hydropower turbine design, which is available both as a drop-in replacement for retrofit projects and as the cornerstone of new, low-impact hydro development. In the coming years, Natel expects to further the myriad ways hydropower can help restore river ecosystems around the world.

“We are honored to receive the 2022 Clean Energy Startup Company of the Year Bronze award” said Gia Schneider, Natel co-founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Our mission is rooted in delivering solutions that address both climate change and biodiversity loss. Hydropower has huge potential to help the planet reach net zero, and we hope to continue scaling our efforts to modernize hydropower in a manner that finally prioritizes nature and wildlife.”

There are currently three hydropower projects in operation that use FishSafe™ Restoration Hydro Turbines, two in the US and one in Austria. Additional hydro projects in development extend to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa and several locations along the Red River in Louisiana, in the US. To date, Natel’s projects have generated more than 130 MW of FishSafe™ renewable electricity around the globe.

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