Natel Energy, Inc

We have created an exciting, dynamic office and manufacturing space in a former “super hangar” on the former Alameda Naval Air Station. We have stunning views of San Francisco and the Bay with easy access to San Francisco and the East Bay by freeway, ferry and bus.

Our mission

To redraw the map of where and how hydropower is developed.We are driven by a vision of climate resilient hydropower that solves the problems inhibiting traditional hydropower: capital intensive to develop, negative environmental and community impacts, and inflexible in the face of climate uncertainty.  We are launching a new hydropower product which enables cost-effective production of low impact, distributed baseload energy while maintaining the health of watershed ecosystems and the communities who surround them.

 Natels digital services division, called Upstream Tech, provides solutions that maximize operational efficiency and minmize risk to hydropower owners, operators and developers using the power of machine learning and remote sensing.

Hydrology Forecasts

HydroForecast™ leverages advancements in satellite imagery and machine learning-based hydrologic modeling to provide high-accuracy forecasts, even where there are no existing gauges.

Monitoring and maintenance

The hydroEngine system is designed for a 30 year project life, with maintenance on the powertrain every 5 to 10 years, depending on capacity factor and operating net head on the unit.  The cassette can be serviced simply by opening the housing top and performing maintenance in situ or after removing the cassette. Many of the individual components can be lifted out and moved by one or two technicians. All heavier components have multiple forklift and winch lift points.

Why Restoration Hydro?

Globally, countless watersheds, rivers and wetland ecosystems have become degraded, depriving us of a vast array of economically valuable ecosystem services. The restoration of these critical ecosystems is not only possible, but economically justifiable, and would enhance the climate resilience and adaptability of watersheds.Restoration Hydro incorporates the concept of biomimicry in the form of low-head, strategically-sited structures proven to restore watershed and ecological function. Natel Energys Restoration Hydropower Projects take this concept one step further by integrating our hydroEngine turbine into these structures, using innovative and adaptive civil works to ensure safe upstream and downstream fish passage and low environmental impact. This creates an additional layer of economic value in the form of flexible, reliable and renewable energy on top of the high-value water and environmental benefits of watershed restoration.

See other resources and work related to sustainable hydropower development:

• The Nature Conservancys Report: Power of Rivers
• WWFs Work on Sustainable Hydropower
• The Low-Impact Hydropower Institutes certification program
• American Rivers Report: A New Paradigm for Collaborative Development of Small Hydropower Projects
• Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol

Hydraulic Performance Testing

Initial Restoration Hydro Turbine performance results from analysis of the RHT by ALDEN Research Laboratory:Turbine hydraulic efficiency: 89.8% A scale model of the RHT is being tested in Alameda, CA. The test unit is a D055 size (0.55m-diameter runner). At the test stand maximum of 10 m head, the turbine will pass 0.9 cms flow and generate approximately 70 kW. The test stand utilizes world class instrumentation, such as a Kröhne magmeter and Himmelstein torque sensor. Experimental uncertainty is <0.8%.