Naturgy Foundation awards the six best school projects on energy efficiency from Spanish schools
More than two thousand students from 14 Autonomous Communities have participated this year in this school competition that aims to promote technological vocations and awareness of energy efficiency among young people.
Six schools from Andalusia, Catalonia, Extremadura, La Rioja, and Navarre have been winners of the sixth edition of the Efigy Technological Contest, with projects proposing initiatives related to improving air quality in cities, energy efficiency, energy innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, energy transition, or sustainable mobility, as well as energy consultancy in vulnerable environments.
In this sixth edition, the Efigy Technological Contest received 92 technological projects and involved the participation of more than two thousand 3rd and 4th year Secondary School (ESO) students from 14 Autonomous Communities.
A few weeks ago, the nine semifinalist schools were announced, and in an event held today in Madrid, they had the opportunity to share and defend their proposals. The subsequent gala, in which the winning schools were announced, was presented by the science communicator Clara Grima, a Mathematics professor at the University of Seville. The event was also attended by José Manuel Bar Cendón, Secretary of State for Education of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, by delegation of the Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Pilar Alegría; and María del Rosario Heras, PhD in Physics and Emeritus Researcher at the Centre for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT).
The jury, composed of representatives from the Institute for Just Transition (ITJ), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), Naturgy, and the Naturgy Foundation, also participated in the event. They assessed the innovative capacity of the participants in the field of energy, the development of original projects based on empirical data, and the demonstrated scientific-technological knowledge that would allow the winning projects to be carried out.
Efigy Technological Contest, the school recognition to promote STEM vocations
The Efigy Technological Contest, now in its sixth edition and a well-established initiative on the national educational agenda, challenges 3rd and 4th year Secondary School (ESO) students from all over Spain to present innovation and energy efficiency projects that contribute to improving the environmental health of the planet. With this initiative, the Foundation of the energy company seeks to promote STEM vocations and the values of energy efficiency among young people.
The General Director of the Naturgy Foundation, María Eugenia Coronado, congratulated all the participants of the Contest for the creativity and applicability of all the projects presented, highlighting “the quality of the proposals, as well as the dedication of students and teachers”. “The success of the Efigy Technological Contest lies in the efforts of the students who, each year, present innovative technological projects, which are so necessary to continue increasing energy efficiency and ensuring a just transition for all.” Coronado recalled that “the aim of this initiative is to create a learning environment that promotes access to specialised knowledge and the encouragement of technological vocations so that together we can guarantee a just energy transition and advance the sustainability of the planet.”
The winning projects
The students of the school IESO Mariano Barbacid (Solana de los Barros, Badajoz) have received recognition under the category of ‘Most achievable project’. Their proposal ‘ECOHEAT, a solar heater with aluminium cans’ consists of converting solar energy into thermal energy to produce hot air using renewable systems.
For its part, Colegio San Agustín (Calahorra, La Rioja) with ‘Viridi Navitas’, has won the award in the category of ‘Most innovative project’. Their proposal consists of the implementation of a biophotovoltaic living wall system that generates renewable energy for use in small devices.
The award under the category of ‘Best Communication’ went to the school EE.PP. Sagrada Familia-Fundación Peñaflor (Écija, Seville). Their students, with the project ‘ETAPP’, proposed the design and creation of an app for video tutorials on household appliances that will allow users to quickly, pleasantly, and entertainingly access simple explanations on how to use the product they have just purchased.
The recognition for the ‘Most Involved’ school was awarded to two schools: IES Mendillorri BHI (Pamplona), with their project ‘Pedalling We Charge Batteries’ featuring a portable pedalling system that allows the mechanical energy to be harnessed and transformed into electrical energy to charge small electronic devices; and INS Roquetes (Roquetes, Tarragona) for their project ‘Ecostreet’, which involved the creation of a road model that serves a dual function: generating electric current from the vibrations produced by tires and charging electric cars that travel along the stretch of the road.
The jury also gave special recognition with the runner-up prize for the ‘Most achievable project’ to IES Plaza de la Cruz in Pamplona. With their ‘Environmental Awareness’ project, they propose raising awareness among the students at this centre about the importance of environmental consciousness and the factors that influence it through three steps: measuring the baseline environmental awareness of the students, carrying out various actions aimed at increasing the environmental awareness of the educational community, and evaluating the impact of the actions involved in raising environmental awareness.
As in the five previous events, the public could also vote for their favourite project in this year’s contest via the Naturgy Foundation’s social media profiles. The videos of the semi-finalist projects had more than 23,058 views and nearly 5,970 likes.
This year the jury of experts was made up of Laura Martín, director of the Institute for Just Transition of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge; Belén Gilarranz, head of institutional relations of FECYT, dependent on the Ministry of Science and Innovation; Ana Castro, vice-president for innovation and transfer of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC); Nuria Rodríguez, director of Environment and CSR of Naturgy; and Manuel Calvo, head of Energy and Environment of the Naturgy Foundation.
Six years of the Efigy Technology Contest
This new edition marks six years since the Naturgy Foundation launched the Efigy Technology Contest. During this time, more than 8,000 3rd and 4th year secondary students from 104 schools in 15 Autonomous Communities have taken part in the initiative. More than 300 energy efficiency projects have been assessed in total, which have aroused the interest of the social networks with more than 153,058 views.
The Efigy Technology Competition is part of the Efigy Education Programme, through which the Naturgy Foundation offers a wide range of training in the field of climate change and new energy technologies, with more than one million beneficiaries since 2018. This programme has the recognition and collaboration of leading institutions in the field of education and research, such as the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, the FECYT and the CSIC.
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