What Eel Energy does

Eel Energy (EEL Energy S.A.S.) is a French deeptech company founded in 2011 that develops and commercializes biomimetic hydrokinetic generators based on a patented undulating membrane technology. The technology, derived from 20+ years of research by founder Jean-Baptiste Drevet on coupling between undulating membranes and fluid flows, mimics the propulsion mechanism of certain fish species. A flexible membrane restrained by tension cables oscillates under the effect of water currents (1.2–3.5 m/s), and a proprietary electromechanical system converts that mechanical motion into grid-injectable electricity. The company claims a 62% energy capture rate that exceeds the 59% Betz's Law ceiling applicable to conventional wind and tidal turbines, a 50% efficiency advantage versus standard tidal turbines, and 20–50% lower cost. The product portfolio comprises two floating river units (30 kW and 300 kW) and a 1MW subsea tidal device (two 500 kW units) currently targeted for in-situ testing by 2026.

The company operates a project-based, hardware-led revenue model with no publicly disclosed pricing, multi-year contract cadences, and primary customer segments split between (a) isolated communities, rural municipalities, and industrial sites currently dependent on diesel generation and (b) energy utilities seeking predictable 24/7 baseload renewable capacity. To date, the main commercial milestone is a single 50 kW pre-commercial river unit deployed on the Rhône near Lyon in 2023 under a navigation concession from Voies Navigables de France, with up to four additional machines contemplated. Target enterprise customers include EDF and Octopus Energy for utility-scale tidal farms, while the company is positioning a 50 kW unit for isolated communities across the Americas via a 2025 partnership with Exel Composites. EEL Energy is headquartered in Paris, has 1–10 employees, and has been supported by Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE Lab accelerator, Bpifrance (a €3.7M PIA grant), FEDER Hauts de France (€950k), and cumulative funding of approximately €8.6M (mostly grants) through 2022.

Name

Eel Energy

Legal name

EEL ENERGY S.A.S.

Website

https://eel-energy.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Eel Energy is a French deeptech company that designs and manufactures biomimetic undulating-membrane hydrokinetic generators for river and tidal applications, serving isolated communities replacing diesel generation and energy utilities seeking predictable 24/7 renewable baseload.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hydrokinetic Generator Hardware Sales: Sale of river hydrokinetic generators (30kW-300kW) and tidal generators (500kW-1MW) to isolated communities, industries, and energy utilities. Pricing based on power capacity and site requirements.
2. Energy Production Revenue: Electricity produced by deployed systems sold directly to grid or consumed on-site. Energy available 24h/24 and 100% predictable, suitable for replacing diesel generators and providing baseload power.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels16 records

Core offering

EEL Energy develops and manufactures biomimetic hydrokinetic generators (hydroliennes) that convert kinetic energy from river or tidal currents into electricity. Its patented undulating membrane technology, inspired by fish propulsion, is deployed as floating river systems (30kW and 300kW units) and subsea tidal systems (1MW units) for rural electrification, replacement of diesel generators, and utility-scale renewable energy production.

Product overview

EEL Energy develops a biomimetic hydrokinetic energy system based on patented undulating membrane technology inspired by fish propulsion. The product portfolio includes two river generator models (30kW and 300kW) using floating membrane systems for river and canal applications, and a 1MW tidal generator for marine/subsea deployment. The technology converts kinetic energy from water currents into electricity with 50% greater efficiency than conventional tidal turbines, operating in current velocities of 1.2-3.5 m/s. A proprietary electromechanical system captures membrane movement and converts it to grid-injectable electricity. The company targets rural electrification for isolated communities (30kW to several tens of MW), utility-scale tidal farms (100MW+), and replacement of diesel generators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• River Generator 30kW
• River Generator 300kW
• Tidal Generator 1MW

Quantifiable outcome

• 62% energy capture rate, exceeding Betz's Law limit of 59%
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Exel CompositescoreTechnology or Integration · 10 September 2025Partnered to resolve critical delamination failure in fish-tail-inspired undulating membrane generator by integrating carbon fiber flats originally developed for wind turbine blades. Carbon fiber composites provide superior mechanical properties (120 GPa E-modulus, 2500 MPa tensile strength) enabling membrane to withstand extreme cyclic stresses of underwater energy generation.
• Dassault Systèmes / 3DEXPERIENCE LabcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSelected for Dassault Systèmes' startup accelerator program, enabling invitation to prestigious Founders Forum in Boston. Provides access to 3D modeling and simulation tools for product development.
• AquanordcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCanal facility in northern France for mini-barge testing trials. Provided testing infrastructure for prototype development.
• Voies Navigables de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment body granting concession for first river tidal farm on Rhône near Lyon. Enables installation of up to 4 machines under navigation concession.
• Iroise MercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership for sea testing of wave membrane tidal turbine prototype in Brest harbor after promising tank tests.
• IfremercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFrench research institute hosting test tank facility in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Site of 20+ years of R&D and government visits including Prime Minister.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves1 record

Direct peers

• Sabella: French tidal turbine developer producing seabed-mounted hydrokinetic generators. Closest direct peer given shared French origin, similar tidal technology focus, and comparable scale and funding profile.
• HydroQuest: French hydrokinetic turbine company developing river and tidal current generators. Direct peer in the same French hydrokinetic ecosystem, targeting similar isolated-grid and mini-grid customer use cases.
• Orbital Marine Power: Scottish developer of the O2 floating tidal turbine, the world's most powerful operating tidal stream generator. Direct peer in marine hydrokinetic technology targeting utility-scale deployments.
• Minesto: Swedish developer of subsea 'kite' tidal and ocean current power plants using tethered underwater drones. Direct peer in the marine hydrokinetic space with a similar technology-architecture approach.
• SIMEC Atlantis Energy: UK-based tidal stream developer (formerly Atlantis Resources) operating the MeyGen project in Scotland. Direct peer developing utility-scale tidal turbine arrays with similar commercial ambitions.
• Magallanes Renovables: Spanish-Chilean developer of the ATIR floating tidal platform. Direct peer in floating hydrokinetic platform technology targeting utility-scale tidal farms.
• Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC): US-based developer of hydrokinetic systems for river and tidal applications. Direct peer with similar river/tidal dual focus and remote community electrification use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Andritz Hydro: Global hydropower equipment OEM supplying turbines and generators for conventional hydroelectric plants. Broad incumbent in the same hydro energy equipment category but focused on large-scale impoundment rather than hydrokinetic generation.
• Voith Hydro: Established German supplier of large hydroelectric turbines and generators. Broad incumbent in hydropower equipment but serving the conventional hydro market rather than hydrokinetic streams.
• GE Renewable Energy: Global renewable energy OEM with hydropower product line (including former Alstom hydro assets). Broad incumbent in power generation equipment and a named EEL Energy customer target, providing both competitive overlap and partnership potential.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eelenergy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3186423

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Eel Energy