https://www.boland-hydroturbine.com/ Hydropower—converting moving water into energy—is the single biggest source of clean power in the world, but relies on a 200-year-old technology that hasn't changed all that much. Natel Energy Inc., a California-based hydro power startup, has developed a new turbine that updates that technology, and now the company is raising $11 million in a funding round led by Schneider Electric Ventures and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a fund helmed by Bill Gates. The turbine lowers the construction cost of power plants, because it requires less cement and steel. It also allows for safer passage for fish, which has become a stringent environmental regulation for these types of projects in both the U.S. and Europe. Natel Energy was started by two engineers and siblings, Gia and Abe Schneider (no direct connection to Schneider Electric). Before founding the company in 2009, the Schneiders worked in the energy