Turbulent

Name

Turbulent

Legal name

Turbulent NV

Website

https://turbulent.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Micro-Hydropower Turbines

NAICS

Turbine and Turbine Generator Set Units Manufacturing (333611), Hydroelectric Power Generation (221111)

SIC

Engines & Turbines (3510), Motors & Generators (3621)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydropower Turbines, Generators & Balance-of-Plant Equipment Manufacturing (EUAMAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Turbines, Generators & Hydromechanical Equipment Manufacturing (OEMs) (EUACAEAH), Run-of-River Hydroelectric Generation (EUACAEAA), Hydrology, Environmental & Fish Passage Solutions (Flow Modeling, Mitigation, Fish Ladders) (EUAMADAK), Hydropower Operations, Maintenance & Asset Management (O&M, Spares, Performance) (EUAMADAE), Hydropower Plant Controls, SCADA & Digital Optimization (Automation, Monitoring, Analytics) (EUAMADAG)

Keywords

• Micro hydropower turbines
• Vortex turbine technology
• Low-head hydropower
• Renewable energy systems
• Fish-friendly turbines

Headquarters

HQ city

Antwerpen

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Turbine Hardware Sales: Sale of vortex turbine core units including propeller, generator, power conversion, cabling, turbine core unit and control software. Civil works are built by local partners.
2. Project Development Services: Initial project evaluation with €750 fee covering high-level quote, turbine sizing, energy production estimation, satellite inspection, and 30-minute engineering consultation. Engineering feasibility study follows as separate phase.
3. Energy Feed-in Tariffs: Excess power can be sold to national grids via Feed-In Tariffs or Power Purchase Agreements, enabling faster investment payback.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Turbulent designs, manufactures, and sells vortex hydropower turbines that generate 15–90 kW of continuous electricity from rivers and canals with as little as 1.5 m of head and 1.5 m³/s of flow. The damless, fish-friendly turbines are sold with project development services (site evaluation, turbine sizing, engineering consultancy) and ongoing maintenance, delivered through a global franchise network of local partners.

Product overview

Turbulent offers a unified micro-hydropower system centered on its Vortex Turbine, a damless, eco-friendly water turbine designed for low-head sites in rivers or canals. The core product portfolio includes the Vortex Turbine (15-90 kW per unit, scalable to 200 kW), the Core Unit (containing generator, gearbox, sluice gate, trash rack, and safety mesh), and a Remote Monitoring System for 24/7 performance tracking. Turbulent's turbines require only a 1.5m height difference and can be installed in 3-6 months. The company provides complete project development services including site evaluation, turbine sizing, and engineering consultancy, as well as ongoing maintenance services through a global network of local partners. Single turbines can power 33-440 on-grid households (or 185-2000 off-grid households), while clusters can reach multiple megawatts for regional electrification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Living Rivers™: Sustainability initiative focused on shifting energy production towards cleaner sources respectful of environment, communities, and water life, with goal to improve river quality and benefit regions

Products and services

• Vortex Turbine Eco-friendly vortex water turbine designed for low-head micro-hydropower in rivers or canals with a minimum 1.5 m height difference and 1.5 m³/s flow. Generates 15–90 kW of continuous 24/7 energy per unit, with fixed-pitch propeller, debris tolerance, and fish-friendly slow-turning operation. Scalable as standalone units or in clusters for regional megawatt-scale deployment.
• Project Development Services End-to-end project development service including a €750 initial evaluation (high-level quote, turbine sizing, energy production estimation, satellite site inspection, and 30-minute engineering consultancy), followed by engineering feasibility study. Uses a GIS system to identify viable sites globally.
• Maintenance Services Low-maintenance turbine servicing performed by Turbulent or local partners according to customer-chosen maintenance plans, including trash rack maintenance, component inspection, and planned repairs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% plant factor enables continuous power generation, significantly outperforming solar's 18% average
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• EngiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor energy company that provided impetus for Turbulent's international expansion. Also partnered on TSMC projects. Key strategic supporter in early growth phase.
• KU LeuvenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Belgian university and research institution. Supported Turbulent's development and technology research. Listed as key partner and supporter.
• Flanders Investment & TrademajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian government agency supporting international business development. Facilitated Turbulent's expansion to Chile and other markets.
• Start it KBCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Belgian startup accelerator. Turbulent won DemoDay competition and received incubation support for early growth.
• Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal association promoting rural electrification through renewable energy solutions. Listed as partner and supporter.
• LRMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional development agency for Limburg, Belgium. Listed as partner and supporter of Turbulent's operations.
• Cleantech FlandersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlemish cleantech ecosystem organization supporting sustainable technology companies. Awarded Cleantech Challenge Belgium.
• HydrotroncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner developing renewable energy projects for TSMC, the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer. Collaborating on new micro-hydro projects.
• Hydrobox KenyacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal Kenyan partner for 110 kW project in Murang'a County. Installed 3x37 kW turbines along Mathioya river for rural electrification.
• ByNubianminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in Kenya G-STIC project contributing to rural electrification initiative with micro-hydro installations.
• Earth FirstcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew Zealand local partner working since early 2025 to explore micro-hydro potential across New Zealand regions. Contact: [email protected] with Otavio Marshall.
• G-STICmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal Science Technology Innovation Corridor project supporting Turbulent's Kenya installations. Provided funding and support for 110 kW project.
• Vlaamse Overheid - Departement OmgevingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlemish Government Department of Environment supporting G-STIC project in Kenya through funding and institutional backing.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Emrgy: US company deploying modular, low-head hydro turbines in irrigation canals and existing water infrastructure. Competes with Turbulent on the same distributed, low-impact hydropower niche, selling to agricultural operations and water utilities seeking baseload renewable generation.
• Natel Energy: California-based developer of low-head, fish-safe hydro recovery turbines for rivers and irrigation canals. Directly comparable to Turbulent on technology category (low-head micro hydro), target customers (utilities, irrigation districts, off-takers), and environmental design philosophy.
• Mavel: Czech manufacturer of small hydro turbines (up to ~30 MW) including Kaplan, Pelton and custom solutions for low-head sites. Comparable as a small-hydro turbine OEM competing for similar run-of-river and micro-hydro projects globally.
• Hydrovolts: Developer of small, in-stream hydrokinetic turbines for low-head sites such as canals, weirs and wastewater channels. Directly comparable technology category and customer profile to Turbulent's vortex turbine deployments in irrigation canals and small rivers.

Broad incumbents

• Voith Hydro: Global incumbent manufacturer of large hydro turbines, generators and hydropower plant automation. Serves the same broad hydropower category as Turbulent but at utility scale, and represents a potential acquirer or competitive threat in the small-hydro segment.
• GE Renewable Energy (Hydro): Hydro division of GE Renewable Energy supplying large turbines, generators and digital plant solutions to global hydropower operators. Operates in the same power-generation equipment category as Turbulent but at significantly larger scale and project size.
• ANDRITZ Hydro: One of the world's largest hydro turbine OEMs serving utility-scale pumped storage and conventional hydropower. Overlaps with Turbulent in the hydropower equipment category but addresses the high-head and large-MW end of the market rather than Turbulent's low-head micro-hydro niche.
• Hydro Québec (Small Hydro): Canadian utility that owns and operates a large portfolio of small and large hydroelectric plants and develops related hydro technologies. Provides an incumbent utility-scale benchmark for hydropower project economics and a possible strategic partner for Turbulent in North American markets.

Emerging players

• Rentricity: US-based company developing small hydropower systems that recover energy from water pipelines and pressurized flows. Comparable in scale and stage to Turbulent, focused on distributed renewable generation in water infrastructure rather than open-channel rivers.
• Lucid Energy: US company installing in-pipe hydro turbines in municipal water distribution pipes to generate baseload renewable power for water utilities. Adjacent to Turbulent's value proposition (decentralized, low-head, baseload hydro) but uses existing pipe infrastructure rather than open rivers/canals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/TurbulentHydro/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/TurbulentHydro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/turbulent-hydro
• Xx.com/turbulenthydro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Turbulent