Experimental Science and Technology students from the University of Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid were the winners of the 2013 Spanish edition of the EDP University Challenge.
Experimental Science and Technology students from the University of Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid were the winners of the 2013 Spanish edition of the EDP University Challenge.
The winning project proposes a new offshore wind turbine design that includes an independent, solar-powered structural monitoring system based on graphene. It was the work of students Rocío Moriche, Borja Santander, and Tamara García and was supervised by Professor Silvia González Prolongo.
The student team behind the project titled "Design of a multifunctional prototype of a wind-solar energy cogeneration system based on the use of graphene" was awarded 6,000 euros in scholarships, and Professor González Prolongo received a research grant worth 3,000 euros.
EDP Renewables launched the EDP University Challenge in Spain in 2009 and in Portugal in 2007. The company has organized this contest every year since then to support universities in the practical application of academic knowledge for the development of projects and ideas in the field of renewable energies.
The 2013 edition of the University Challenge received a remarkable level of participation, with over 80 entries in the areas of engineering, strategy, and marketing.
On Oct. 24, five finalist groups presented their projects to an audience and panel of judges, which was comprised of Luis Polo, Managing Director of AEE (Spanish Wind Power Association), Jorge Corrales and Ignacio Laínez, Directors of Institutional Relations and Energy Evaluation at EDP Renováveis Europe, respectively, and Telmo Vieira, a Partner at Premivalor Consulting. The awards ceremony was hosted by Rocío Sicre, Managing Director of EDP Renewables in Spain.
Second and third place awards were made to teams from Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería of Barcelona and the Engineering and Architecture School of Zaragoza University. Their projects, titled "Waste heat smartly" and ""CO2 capture and storage system for transport vehicles" received scholarships worth 3,000 Euros and 2,000 Euros, respectively.
The other two finalists projects were "Energy generator fueled by currents produced by air convection in Green House Energy greenhouses" submitted by students at Universidad Europea and Universidad Carlos III, both in Madrid, and "A study of the geothermal potential of water from mines combined with wind energy" by students at the Engineering School of the University of Oviedo.
EDPR considers the contest an important way to encourage collaboration between universities, corporations and society at large. The participation of both students and professors is intended to wake up the spirit of innovation and creativity.
For further information on the EDP University Challenge in Spain, visit:
http://www.edpr-universitychallenge.es.
EDP University Challenge awards innovative renewables projects from Spanish universities