Developing an Environmentally-Friendly and Fish-Saving Hydropower Turbine with Abe Schneider, Co-founder and CTO of Natel Energy
Abe Schneider, Co-founder and CTO of Natel Energy, explains how his company designs fish-safe hydropower turbines to mitigate the environmental impact of existing dams. He details the mechanical engineering behind their blade geometry—specifically thick, slanted leading edges—and the manufacturing challenges of producing utility-scale composite and metal blades. Schneider also discusses the regulatory drivers for adoption, the ecological importance of migratory fish like eels and salmon, and the potential for pumped storage hydropower.