Updated Wednesday, March 20, 2024-16:25
The new generations
play
with the concept of
competition
.
For them it is not something to avoid, but rather a positive, enriching
and even entertaining
tool .
To encourage the involvement of young people in the challenges of the energy transition, and seeking
to enhance talent and creativity
through competition, the
Repsol Foundation launched its University Challenge in October
aimed at undergraduate, master's and doctoral students of any discipline. academic.
A challenge that this March had its Grand Final:
of the more than 1,700 registered students from 83 universities throughout Spain, 93 students from 29 universities reached the last phase
.
The final hackathon consisted of a weekend of work in which 25 teams developed their projects around
five themes: decarbonized cities, sustainable mobility, circular economy, decarbonized industry and energy transition and society
.
"We want young people to reflect on the challenges of the energy transition and for them to be the true agents of change," explains
Blanca Costa
, head of the Repsol Foundation's University Challenge.
Teams working during the final of the University Challenge.
The objective of the University Challenge has been to reward the ability of young people to propose ideas to overcome the challenges involved in the energy transition
and the path towards decarbonization and due to the level of the projects, it has more than met.
This initiative has been, in short,
an opportunity for the students
, as the captains of all the finalist teams unanimously summarize.
As Blanca Costa says, "
young people have a lot to say and contribute
so that we can achieve the 2050 goals."
Connect university and world of work
In addition to promoting a culture of talent, the Repsol Foundation University Challenge has fostered a work environment in which
young people have left their comfort zone
(their university, their campus, their environment...) to learn, in a first contact, what "the real world" is like.
Teamwork, competition, limited time, the degree of accuracy when solving problems... the finalists experienced these work challenges, facing the difficulties of finding solutions and learning to manage projects.
And everything,
against the clock
.
A
win-win
experience for participants and organizers.
On the one hand, as
Cristian Barón
, captain of the winning team in the Sustainable Industry and Decarbonization challenge, assures, because "
it is an introduction opportunity to the world of work
to know what is sought, what is demanded and what exists in the market" .
On the other hand, because
the Repsol Foundation has been able to see "that young people have a very clear environmental awareness
and that they want to be part of the change", in the words of the person in charge of the Challenge.
General image of the University Challenge awards ceremony.
Sometimes we talk about opportunity in the abstract, but this initiative translates into a real opportunity for the winners of the five challenges.
Each winning team receives 12,000 euros and the possibility of joining the different young talent programs offered by Repsol.
The winners
The abilities of the participants have been translated into
25
high-level final proposals, as recognized by the jury of Repsol professionals and experts, but every competition entails the recognition of a winner;
five in the case of the Repsol Foundation University Challenge, one for each challenge.
EcoFuturo
, formed by
Vianny Castellanos, Noelia Cruz and Gabriela Cevallos
, students of the master's degree in Communication and Creative Industries at the Alicante University, was the award-winning team in the category of
Sustainable and Decarbonized Cities
.
Their project,
Urban Planters Powered by a Mini Waste Treatment Plant
, proposes
installing urban pots to plant gardens with an integrated mini organic waste treatment plant
.
Thus, it is possible to reuse the waste in three ways: compost to fertilize and fill the pots, take advantage of the methane gas produced to treat the waste and convert it into water for drip irrigation of the pot itself.
For the Sustainable and Decarbonized Mobility
challenge
, the winner was
Wave Energy
, formed by
Mar Fontané, Dídac Badía, Pau Costa, Ainoa Vigo and Júlia Tallada
, from the Rovira i Virgili University, who presented
Wave energy for the decarbonization of maritime transport
.
To achieve its objective, its proposal proposes the
use of lateral buoys that capture the energy generated by the waves and the creation of charging points
in different ports so that the entire maritime sector can benefit from this solution.
The third challenge,
Circular economy as a lever for decarbonization
, recognized the project of the
EcoIngenieros
team , composed of
David Redondo, Inés Muruzábal and Ana del Casar
, from the Polytechnic University of Madrid:
Recycling of wind farms
.
This project seeks the
sustainable recycling of wind turbines at the end of their useful life
, establishing a comprehensive system that ranges from the disassembly and collection of the wind turbines to the advanced processing of the materials, with special attention to blades, resins, metals and others. key components.
Sustainable and decarbonized industry
was the fourth challenge, where
Carbon Fighters
, the team of
Cristian Barón, Javier Sáez de Guinoa, Jorge Legaz, Alexander García and Inés Senante
, from the University of Zaragoza, won with their idea
Decarbonization of the steel industry through biomass and power-to-gas
.
Its estimate is that CO2 emissions from steel blast furnaces
can be reduced by up to 60%
through a comprehensive evaluation of all the possibilities for reducing these emissions that the industry presents.
Los Amigos
was the team that deserved the award in the
Energy Transition and Society
challenge .
Adrián Almoyna, Gerardo Artal, Daniel Baya and Gerardo Cambra
, students at the University of Zaragoza, presented
Marloquinas: smart canopies in rural Spain
.
An initiative that proposes
installing bus shelters in the towns of rural Spain that contain all the functions offered by a complete bus station
(ticket sales, travel information, estimated time of arrival...) and that their consumption of Energy is managed through solar panels.
Among the most striking functions they have presented is including
lockers
to receive or send packages, so that the intercity buses themselves are in charge of delivery.
The five winning teams pose with Antonio Brufau, president of Repsol, and Carmen Muñoz, general director of People and Organization of Repsol.
Five challenges, five teams, 20 students and unanimous recognition of their talent and ingenuity.
The winners of the first edition of the University Challenge have found in
Fundación Repsol the best ally to develop, with freedom and talent, their solutions
for a future that, strictly speaking, will be theirs.
Furthermore, their example will be
the best mirror for future participants
in this competition because it is clear that young people's commitment to sustainability is not only personal, but also professional.
Made by UE Studio
This text has been developed by UE Studio, a creative branded content and content marketing firm of Unidad Editorial, for FUNDACIÓN REPSOL.