US DOE Grants Natel $1.3M to Lead Sustainable Hydropower Education and Community Engagement Project in Minnesota

Natel was selected by the Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) for $1.3M in funding to educate the public about hydropower, its relationship with freshwater ecology, and its benefit to a renewable grid. 

This project will establish new opportunities for the community in and around Coon Rapids and Brooklyn Park, MN, northern suburbs of Minneapolis, to learn about hydropower and new technologies—like FishSafe turbines—that support freshwater ecosystems as well as power generation.
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The goal is to foster a well-informed and engaged community that can help advance sustainable hydropower development, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and contribute to Minnesota's clean energy goals. This project will focus on the Coon Rapids Dam and the Mississippi River, but it will create a replicable model for other hydropower developments and river systems, emphasizing the importance of community involvement and education in gaining public and regulatory support.

Natel will work with local partners Background Stories, Friends of the Mississippi River, and the University of Minnesota Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory to engage the public in a variety of ways, including developing interactive kiosks, showcasing scale-model FishSafe turbines at the Minnesota State Fair, and designing and sharing curriculum about hydropower and ecology on the Mississippi River. 

Funding support for this project will come from WPTO via the Small Business Innovation Research program as well as through the Minnesota State Energy Office. 

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