EIMV takes part in the Energy Hackathon

The Milan Vidmar Electric Power Research Institute attended the EESTEC Olympics – energy hackathon, intended for 1st and 2nd level students, which took place on 4 and 5 December 2024 at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Ljubljana. Participants had to solve three challenging problems on the topic of Slovenia's energy future and the impact of building a new nuclear power plant. EIMV used the expertise of our experts to prepare the second challenge on the topic of reliable power supply through the integration of a nuclear power plant into the high-voltage grid. 

The challenge asked participants to take into account technical, environmental and economic aspects and to show how they can shape Slovenia's energy future with well-thought-out solutions. The event was a meeting point of knowledge, ideas and youthful enthusiasm. The teams impressed with their solutions, their originality and their interdisciplinary approach. The team with the most knowledge in all three challenges won. 

As part of the EESTEC event, we also presented a lecture at a round table on "Slovenia's Energy Future" on 21 November 2024. Mag. Igor Podbelšek, Head of the Electric Power System Control and Operation Department, highlighted the current professional challenges in the Slovenian power system and in the wider region. EIMV is deeply involved in research and solutions for optimising the operation of the existing electricity system as well as for its further development. He highlighted the challenges of introducing new technologies, which are successful in attracting younger professionals, but in his view a balance between new and proven technologies must be maintained, as the reliability of the overall system remains a top priority. He emphasised the growing need for energy storage, flexible consumers and also flexible generation sources. Decarbonising energy and society is a very large interdisciplinary project. In his view, this is likely to be the primary challenge of the younger generation, which is just entering the professional sphere, for many decades. 

We are delighted to have participated in an event that attracted great interest from young people and future engineers.

Source of photos: EESTEC