HERI – Research Organisations Database

Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) is France’s leading producer of 100% renewable electricity with a total installed capacity of 4GW (3.1GW of hydro, 735MW of wind and 135MW of solar). CNR manages the Rhône river with 19 run-of-river multipurpose assets (navigation, irrigation, hydropower generation). It has expertise in hydraulic management of river systems and O&M, among others. It also has strong competencies in ecological restoration of rivers. Besides, CNR carries out missions of general interests to develop the territories. It also innovates to optimise its practices in renewable energies such as hydrogen, battery storage systems and flexibility, floating PV, agriPV and osmotic energy.

EPFL is Europe’s most cosmopolitan technical university. It welcomes students, professors and collaborators of more than 120 nationalities. EPFL has both a Swiss and international vocation and focuses on three missions: teaching, research and innovation. EPFL collaborates with an important network of partners, including other universities and colleges, secondary schools and gymnasiums, industry and the economy, political circles and the general public, with the aim of having a real impact on society.

EDF (Electricite de France) is one of the largest power Utility in Europe. As regard to Hydropower, it owns and operates a fleet of more than 20,000 MW Hydro domestic capacity in France, including 430 power stations, more than 240 large dams, and one of the largest tidal range power plant at la Rance.
R&D and Engineering teams of EDF group are very active in all fields of research and innovation areas related to hydropower : civil engineering, dam safety, mechanics, hydraulics, hydrology, environment and river/ocean ecology, sustainability, electro-technics, economy and markets, SCADA, digitalization ... covering the whole life cycle of hydropower assets : design, construction, refurbishment, operation and maintenance, decommissiong. R&I activity.
These teams are closely connected to research partners in France, Europe and worlwide. EDF Hydro research teams are also involved in many R&I projects in France and Europe.

Hydro Alps is an applied research and development laboratory specializing in improving the monitoring and production of Alpine high-pressure and run-of-river power plants.

The Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre (LVGMC) is a state-owned research and service institution responsible for environmental monitoring, hydrology, meteorology, and climate services in Latvia. The centre provides data collection, modelling, and analysis related to water systems, including river flow monitoring, flood forecasting, and climate impact assessments. LVGMC supports national policy, environmental protection, and risk management through applied research and operational services, including hydrological modelling, early warning systems, and long-term environmental data management.

Natel Energy is a research-driven technology and engineering company dedicated to advancing sustainable hydropower. With a core focus on ecological integrity, Natel develops innovative turbine solutions that enable the safe downstream passage of fish and other aquatic organisms, contributing to healthy rivers, biodiversity, and grid decarbonization.

Through extensive laboratory and field testing, including through-turbine passage studies across multiple fish species and life stages, Natel’s FishSafe™ runner designs have consistently demonstrated 98-100% fish passage survival rates, while maintaining high hydraulic efficiency at conventional blade speeds.

Natel Energy's research is validated through peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals such as Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, North American Journal of Fisheries Management, and the Journal of Ecohydraulics. These publications, resulting from collaborations with leading institutions like Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Alden Laboratory, and Kleinschmidt Associates, underscore the scientific basis and credibility of Natel's technology.

Natel conducts feasibility studies, detailed fish passage and performance testing, and ongoing refinement of their FishSafe™ runner designs. They partner with trusted turbine manufacturers to translate their designs into real-world applications, driving the global advancement of FishSafe hydropower.

RSE carries out analysis, studies and research activities, applied to the energy sector as a whole. The big challenges and innovations stemming from advancements in the sustainable generation, distribution and storage of electrical energy, sustainable mobility and the flexibility and resilience of the energy systems provide the subject matter for RSE’s projects. RSE carries out them through a broader perspective that encopasses system scenarios, in line with the goals of the national energy policy and EU Energy Programmes. The results of RSE’s research activities are available to the full range of stakeholders in the energy field, thus being shared for the benefit of companies, market operators and citizens. RSE spans its research activity through four departments which cover the different topics of the energetic system: Materials and Generation Technologies Department (TGM); Transmission and Distribution Technologies Department (TTD); Energy Systems Development Department (SSE); Sustainable Development and Energy Sources Department (SFE). This promotes a strong interconnection between the technological (TGM and TTD) and systemic approach (SSE and SFE).

SuperGrid Institute Hydropower develops technologies for future electricity transmission & distribution systems. We play a key role in the field of grid balancing and energy storage solutions. Our experts are particularly involved in the economics of grid balancing services including energy trading and optimised management of storage assets. They also focus on enhancing the flexibility of hydropower plants through hybridisation technologies for hydraulic systems as well as improving the performance of hydraulic turbines through expertise, simulations, and testing. Testing activities are supported by two test rigs, one dedicated to validation of model test for Francis and PSP runners according to IEC60193 standard, and another one dedicated to real-time and transient tests.

CDIF is a R&D center within the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC).

The research activities are developed by a group of Ph.Ds in industrial engineering, with over 30 years of experience in the field of turbomachinery vibrations, diagnosis and preventive maintenance, damage detection and fluid dynamics.Our goal is to provide technological support to industry worldwide in areas related to the field of power generation groups diagnosis, focusing on hydropower.

Our center offers technology transfer services to industry by means of consultancy and technological innovation projects in our areas of expertise: analysis and diagnosis of vibration problems in turbomachinery, remote on-line monitoring, predictive maintenance, fluid dynamics studies and on-site specialized training.

We are part of the UPC's Mechanical Engineering, Fluids and Aeronautics Ph.D. program. Our main research lines are: Structural Analysis, Diagnosis, Fluid Dynamics Simulation and Cavitation. We actively participate in leading scientifical societies/meetings/congresses in our area of expertise and our research results are published in top tier scientific journals internationally.

The activities of the Hydraulic Structures Laboratory concern experimental modeling and the development of new hybrid numerical/experimental approaches applied to the analysis of flows in the natural and built environment. Among others, we carry out applied research projects related to design of hydraulic structures, floods forecasting and management, pumped-storage development.

The research Group on Turbomachinery and Energy System is deeply involved in research activities dealing with fluid machines and in particular with hydropower. The group has also a research infrastructure with 4 open test-rigs for experimental analyses on turbines and pump-turbines. The main research topics are: design optimization, CFD analyses, cavitation, sediment transportation, hybridization, machine and system modelling for optimal management and predictive maintenance.