| Fish passage
turbines. Additionally, upgrading an ageing plant with new FishSafe turbines maintains plant operational flexibility and in some cases can result in a net gain in energy production. Natel FishSafe turbine designs integrate the necessary cost of plant modernization with improved environmental performance, providing a cost-competitive, long-term, safe, and reliable modernisation solution for the industry.
What have been your greatest lessons
from working in the hydro industry? I have been lucky to meet some incredible people working within hydropower, all of whom bring unique perspectives and help me and our team regularly refine how Natel can provide the most value to the industry as a whole. One thing I learned quickly is the benefit of aligning early with others that might have the shared goal of helping hydro modernise. Whether it’s a conservation organisation, regulatory agency or a turbine manufacturer, there really are more people aligned on the goals of clean energy and healthy river environments than divided. The power of collaboration is amazing.
What does it mean to be appointed to
the IHA board? I am deeply honoured to represent North America alongside Lynn St-Laurent and join such a distinguished group of leaders committed to advancing sustainable hydropower worldwide. Professionally, I look forward to collaborating with others to modernise the role of hydro in our energy landscape. As demand for reliable, dispatchable, and flexible energy continues to rise – from the growing presence of data centres to developing countries utilizing natural resources for accessible energy – hydropower’s role is evolving, and I am thrilled to be a part of this transformation.
What can you bring to the role? And
what do you hope to achieve? I have a firm belief in the role hydropower plays as a critical and reliable energy source and a deep respect for hydropower’s lengthy history as a key source of power. As we look ahead, I am excited and motivated to help the industry lean into the growing number of cost-effective and sustainable technological innovations that will allow hydropower to continue to evolve into an environmentally sustainable energy source for generations to come.
Please give more details about Natel
Energy’s mission Natel’s mission remains focused on supporting healthy rivers, promoting biodiversity and decarbonising the grid and helping modernise the global hydropower fleet in a way that balances energy production with ecological health.
Looking at North America specifically, we know that one of the key challenges facing the North American hydropower fleet is that nearly 80% of the fleet operates in settings where the high volumes of water flowing through hydropower sites makes conventional fish protection measures, like fine exclusion screens, difficult and costly to install, operate, and maintain. The only other conventional methods to improve fish passage, such as rerouting fish or plant shutdowns
during migration reduce power output and add complexity without fully addressing the risks posed by conventional turbines. We’re incredibly proud that our Natel FishSafe turbine designs are the only turbine blade designs applicable to all major medium and low head turbine configurations at sites with up to 40m of hydraulic head, delivering uncompromising performance (designs with efficiency up to 94%), safe fish passage (demonstrated survival rates between 98-100%) and are readily customizable to fit into existing plant civil works. Beyond cost savings, FishSafe turbines can also boost power generation by up to 10% by modernizing aging equipment, minimizing head losses associated with screening and potentially eliminating the need for bypass flows. Increased power generation not only enhances revenue potential but also improves operational flexibility, which is crucial for adapting to fluctuating demand and maintaining grid stability. To date, Natel’s FishSafe turbines have generated 3.25GWh of renewable electricity and are in operation in the US and in Europe. In addition, Natel conducts research and development including CFD modelling and analysis to improve fish safety at the plant level and performance and fish passage scale model testing at the company’s hydraulic test facility. Natel also has a field test site at a 300kW project that it owns and operates in Oregon.
Any other comments? The team at Natel collaborates with all partners,
including conservation groups, universities, equipment manufacturers, and clean energy producers, all driven by a shared goal to modernise the hydropower industry. We recognise that change requires a multidisciplinary approach, and working together has been both effective and incredibly rewarding. As we look forward, we know just how valuable
hydropower is and the risk we currently face of losing this critical energy transition resource if we do not invest in modernisation. Amazingly enough, today we have the technology and solutions needed to modernise and we want to help encourage owners and operators to make those investments that will not only update the rapidly ageing hydro fleet, but improve river health and biodiversity. From our perspective, it is very possible to do both.
www.waterpowermagazine.com | September 2024 | 31
Above: Fish-safe D190 Restoration Hydro Turbine (RHT)
Below: View from inside an RHT shows the blunted leading edge and curved shape of the runner, which are key to its FishSafe design
Below: Natel’s first FishSafe Restoration Hydro Turbine was installed in Freedom, Maine in 2019
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