Meet the former president of the Student Energy Chapter at Monterrey Institute of Technology (Tec de Monterrey) – Benjamin Betancourt Tovar! He was president of the Chapter from August 2022 to July 2023. Currently, he is studying Nanotechnology Engineering at his University in Monterrey, Mexico.

“In January of 2023, I had the opportunity to be selected and attend the 13th IRENA Assembly as an IRENA Youth Delegate in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In the same event, I was able to participate in the IRENA Youth Forum: The Next Generation of Decision Makers, where I was part of a panel discussion, expressing how we, the youth, face challenges in the development of science, innovation and technology for energetic affairs. Apart from the assembly, the Youth Delegation had the opportunity to attend the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and visit Noor Abu Dhabi, the world’s largest stand-alone operational solar plant. During my trip, I was thrilled to meet new people from all over the world with different perspectives, meet high level representatives from different organizations and also to learn about the energetic sector developments and challenges from IRENA representatives from all over the world. After this exciting experience, I came back to Mexico with fresh ideas and motivation to design and implement solutions in my community towards the youth-led energetic transition, working within my chapter and also in the development of “ANSE: México Joven por la Energía” [Mexican Youth for Energy], a youth-led energy network within Mexico!” – Benjamin Betancourt Tovar

Interested to start a Student Energy Chapter at your university? Head over to Starting a Chapter on our website and fill out an Expression of Interest form!

Get to know the recently graduated president of the Student Energy McGill Chapter, Chloe Guo, based in Montreal, Quebec. Chloe just finished her last year of undergraduate studies in Biochemistry at McGill University and will be staying at McGill for two more years as a Master’s student. She will remain in the SE McGill Chapter as a Graduate Student Advisor.

“I first joined the McGill chapter as the Vice President of Events two years ago during my first in-person semester at McGill. Going into university without having much interaction with others during the COVID pandemic, I wanted to get to know more peers with similar interests. I have always been interested in sustainability and sustainable energy in general.

…As VP Events, I organized several campus-wide in-person and virtual events. When I joined the McGill chapter, it was still a very young student group that many didn’t know about. Hoping to attract more like-minded students, the first event I organized was a virtual info session featuring some of the members on the Student Energy Management Team! After this event, we went on to host many more engaging workshops, webinars, and in-person networking events in collaboration with professionals from outside of the McGill community on topics such as climate migration and climate justice. During my time as VP Events and later on as the president, I learned so much from my teammates and energy leaders that I had the chance to talk with at our events. I’m glad that we have come thus far in the past two years and matured so much together as a team!” – Chloe Guo

If you want to connect with the Student Energy McGill Chapter, check them out on Instagram at @studentenergyatmcgill

Interested to start a Student Energy Chapter at your university? Head over to Starting a Chapter on our website and fill out an Expression of Interest form!

The ASES Solar conference held space for presentations, discussions, and speakers for both working professionals and youth to co-learn about social justice aspects of the energy sector– such as women in solar, intergenerational discussions on mentorship, and youth entering the labour market to name a few. The event ran from August 8-11th but I arrived in Boulder on the 10th, leaving me with little time to enjoy the rest of the conference. I was, however, lucky enough to listen in on a “Young Professionals” panel discussion on youth sharing their strategic ways on networking, and navigating their early career challenges in the renewable energy sector. The latter half of the session allotted for a rotating speed networking session with the youth panelists, where I participated and learned some common, yet relevant challenges that young people face in entering the green jobs market. Youth with backgrounds in engineering, public policy, and STEM research find it challenging to find meaningful work, and shared various ways such as pitching project ideas or research topics as a way to show their initiative and proactiveness in their work-learn opportunities and internships. Connecting with these young professionals informed me the same stories of all other young people globally who are passionate change makers, and have grit to make meaningful difference in the energy transition movement, but are struggling to enter the industry. Feeling even more inspired by this experience, I channeled the same level of positivity into delivering Student Energy’s workshop that speaks to the very nature of this conversation– how young people can enter the energy transition labour market. 

The workshop drew key insights from Student Energy’s recently published report “Energy Transitions Skills Project” and its own 14 years of youth engagement to provide some actionable recommendations on how youth can take hold of their own energy careers. I walk through the importance of reflecting values, desires, and skills before job searching as a way to remind young people what is important to them when selecting a career; and relating their values to the labour market demand will make it easier for them to target their job search. Later, I facilitated a storytelling session where participants pitch their stories amongst themselves as a practice run for future networking opportunities with industry professionals. While there was low attendance in the workshop, the youth who participated were very engaged and happy to share their stories and connect with one another. 

Sharing recommendations to young people to be part of the energy movement gives me joy as I was in the same position a couple of years ago–I did not know how to apply my own unique skills and lived experiences in the energy transition industry, and felt severe imposter syndrome as a result. I still am continuously navigating through this rhythm of learning collectively as I engage with other youth on how we can intercept high-level decision-making spaces, and make our voices heard through our work. From learning about energy education through the Leaders Fellowship Program, to now working as Research and Youth Engagement Special Projects Coordinator, Student Energy has expanded my potential in the way I see myself, and how to creatively apply my own unique skills in the energy space. This experience has given me the opportunity to connect with other brilliant minds that give me the optimistic feeling of a positive transformation of the energy industry, and preparing for the next generation of leaders to confidently reclaim and re-write their futures. 

The Student Energy Chapter at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY) is making waves in their student community.

On August 14, Monday, and August 15, Tuesday, the UADY Chapter organized events gathering together new students who are part of the Tizimin Multidisciplinary Unit and the Faculty of Engineering to participate in energizers, fun activities, and games.

“We had our Twister, snakes and ladders, and other dynamics on environmental education. Soon we will be in other faculties to promote our activities.”

– Sofía Morán, President of the SE Chapter at UADY

Connect with Sofía and the Student Energy Chapter at UADY to learn more about their work:

Instagram – @studentenergyuady

[Washington, D.C., June 22, 2023] – Student Energy, a global youth-led organization, and the Clean Cooking Alliance, a leading international clean cooking organization, are thrilled to announce their partnership to develop the “Ignite” Youth Clean Cooking Incubator Program. This innovative initiative aims to empower and support young entrepreneurs in developing clean cooking solutions to address the pressing challenges of household air pollution and energy poverty. As part of the program launch, Student Energy and Clean Cooking Alliance are issuing a call for donors and technical partners to accelerate the impact of this youth-led movement. 

Household air pollution resulting from traditional cooking practices is a critical issue affecting 2.3 billion people worldwide, particularly women and children in low- and middle-income countries. As a cross-cutting issue, clean cooking is essential to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), as well as reducing global carbon emissions, forest degradation, and improving the climate resilience and well-being of communities globally.  

The “Ignite” Youth Clean Cooking Incubator Program will equip young entrepreneurs to address these issues head-on. Through a 10-month incubator program, the “Ignite” will provide young people with the tools and resources needed to develop, scale, and commercialize innovative clean cooking solutions and launch their own sustainable businesses.  

About the Program Leads: Student Energy brings 13+ years of experience in supporting and accelerating youth-led energy enterprises around the world through project management training, peer support, mentorship, and funding, through programs like Guided Projects and Greenpreneurs. CCA is the leading organization bringing together stakeholders in the clean cooking space, and brings together experience catalyzing entrepreneurship and finance through its Venture Catalyst and Innovative Finance programs, as well as access to an extensive network of international and local experts who will provide participants technical expertise, advice on commercialization and regulatory frameworks, and scaling. 

 To successfully launch and sustain the “Ignite” Youth Clean Cooking Incubator Program, Student Energy and CCA are calling on donors and technical partners to help ensure the availability of financial support, mentorship opportunities, and capacity-building programs for young entrepreneurs participating in the incubator program.  

 Supporting the “Ignite” Youth Clean Cooking Incubator Program is an investment in the future, enabling young entrepreneurs to unlock their potential, create jobs, and improve the lives of millions of people by providing access to clean and efficient cooking solutions. Donors and technical partners will have the opportunity to witness the tangible impact of their contributions and be part of a global movement working towards a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable world. 

How can I connect with the program?

To learn more about the “Ignite” Youth Clean Cooking Incubator Program and how to contribute as a donor or technical partner, please check the Ignite Sponsorship Brochure,  contact letschat@studentenergy.org, or partnerships@cleancooking.org. 

About Student Energy: Student Energy is the world’s largest youth-led organization focused on energy, empowering 50,000 young people in 120+ countries to accelerate the transition to a sustainable and equitable energy future. Student Energy’s Programs Ecosystem offers 9 unique programs which deliver energy education, skills training, and project financing for young people globally, and also works with governments, the UN, and other decision-makers to facilitate meaningful youth engagement and mobilize resources, coaching, and mentorship to support youth-led work. Student Energy has built coalitions with over 100 diverse partners, such as Indigenous Clean Energy, Sustainable Energy for All, HSBC Global, the Stockholm Environment Institute, DNV, WSP, and national governments like Canada, Denmark, and Sweden. Student Energy has stewarded CAD$10 million+ in funding to date, supported the development of over 280 youth energy projects, held 6 international Student Energy Summits, and attracted over 17 million people to its digital energy education platforms.

About the Clean Cooking Alliance: Since 2010, the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) has worked with a global network of partners to build an inclusive and financially sustainable industry to ensure clean cooking is accessible to the nearly three billion people who live without it each day. CCA is the leading organization bringing together stakeholders from across the ecosystem with the aim to achieve universal access to clean cooking by 2030 in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Net Zero ambitions. CCA’s Youth program aims to facilitate increased impact and expanded action to address the needs, build the agency, and advance opportunities for youth to lead ambitious clean cooking transitions. 

Media Contact:  

Shakti Ramkumar

Sr. Director of Communications and Policy, Student Energy

Email: shakti@studentenergy.org

Phone/WhatsApp: +1 604 445 4306

SE team were speakers, hosts, and facilitators in various events during COP 27. The team included:

Meredith Adler – Executive Director

Helen Watts – Senior Director of Partnerships

Shakti Ramkumar – Director of Communications & Policy

Abdullah Khair – Partnerships Manager

Grace Young – Alumni & Community Manager

Eduarda Zhogbi – Student Energy Senior Advisor

Vaughn-Xavier Jameer – Chapters Associate

Oluwadabira Abiola-Awe – Partnerships Associate

Danielle Kehler – SevenGen Manager

Launch of the Energy Transition Skills Report Initial Findings

Student Energy, in partnership with Ørsted, launched initial findings from the Energy Transition Skills Report at COP 27. The report contains survey results and recommendations from around 5,000 young people globally on how to create accessible and inclusive entry points for youth to enter and stay in careers that accelerate the global energy transition. The findings were delivered by Shakti Ramkumar, Student Energy’s Director of Communications & Policy, at the Danish Pavilion last November 16th.

The Energy Transition Skills Project was launched this year to identify the needs of ready young people for energy transition jobs. 

Launch of the Youth Impact Framework Initial Findings

With the recent developments of the Youth Impact Framework in place, Student Energy, with the Global Covenant of Mayors, shared the initial findings at COP 27. The findings were discussed by Shakti Ramkumar at the UNFCCC Innovation Zone last November 10th.

The Youth Impact Framework is a set of impact measurement tools and indicators to help youth climate advocates, project leaders, and founders measure and communicate the impact of their initiatives to incorporate youth-inclusive project design principles, by recognizing the impact of youth contributions to SDG 7 and across the Sustainable Development Goals.

International Student Energy Summit (SES) 2023 Abu Dhabi: Uniting the Energy Transition Announcement

More than 1,000 young people have already pre-registered for the International Student Energy Summit 2023 (SES 2023) during its first week since the launch. The Student Energy Summit team, led by Grace Young, announced the International Student Energy Summit 2023 at the UAE Pavilion last November 15th. 

SES 2023 will be a transformative space for intergenerational collaboration in the energy sector. For the first time, the summit will come to the United Arab Emirates from November 9 – November 12, 2023, and will be hosted by New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD). With the theme Reimagining the Future, 600+ young people, industry experts, and world leaders from over 100 different countries will gather in Abu Dhabi, making it the world’s largest youth-led energy conference hosted in the Middle East. In collaboration with local and global partners, SES 2023 will empower a new generation of energy sector leaders and highlight the success story and the vision of the UAE’s energy transition.

We were speakers, hosts, and facilitators at these COP 27 events:

November 8

How can clean energy mitigate climate change, accelerate development, and support food security?

Shakti speaking

Danish Pavilion, hosted by Danish Chamber of Commerce

November 9

Compact presentation at the SDG 7 Pavilion

Dabira speaking

SDG 7 Pavilion

Youth Financing Done Right: How to best structure youth-financing program in developing countries

Dabira speaking

SDG 7 Pavilion

Youth Leadership for the Energy Transition

Grace Young facilitating, Joyce facilitating

IRENA Pavilion, hosted by IRENA

Just sustainability, Circular Economy and Social Justice: employment and social policies to support a just green transition across the globe

Shakti speaking

EU Pavilion (Blue Zone – Area B – Hall 4),  hosted by EC DG EMPL

November 10

Launch of the Energy Transition Commission

Eduarda moderating, Helen speaking, Arsenii speaking

SDG 7 Pavilion, hosted by SEforALL

Youth in the Energy Transition – Panel Discussion

Abdullah speaking

Atoms4Climate Pavilion, hosted by International Atomic Energy Agency

Teaching for the Transition

Grace speaking, Mira moderating

IRENA Pavilion, hosted by IRENA

Youth Energy Compact Showcase

Dabira speaking

SDG 7 Pavilion, hosted by SEforALL

Empowering Youth in Climate and Sustainable Energy

Abdullah speaking

Green Zone, hosted by Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

Energy for Change Panel Event with Fortescue Future Industries

Benji and Natalia speaking

Mineroo Pavilion, hosted by Mineroo and Fortescue Industries

Investing in Youth for a Just Energy Transition

Grace moderating, Eduarda speaking, Vaughn speaking

SDG 7 Pavilion, hosted by Student Energy and Carbon Trust

Fireside Chat with Simon, CEO of GEAPP and Dabira

Dabira speaking, Meredith supporting

GEAPP Office, hosted by GEAPP and Student Energy

Launch of the Youth Impact Framework with the Global Covenant of Mayors

Shakti speaking

UNFCCC Innovation Zone, hosted by Student Energy and GCoM

November 11

Just Transition Session

Kajol speaking

UNDP COP27 Hour

Dabira speaking

UN Broadcast Center, hosted by UNDP

Global Alliance for Sustainable Energy Event

Meredith moderating

Wind and Solar Pavilion Zone D, hosted by Enel Foundation

Panel Discussion – Energy Transition, Green Jobs and Skills

Dabira speaking

WMB Pavilion, hosted by National Grid

Net Zero Urban Program: Calling for solutions and a coalition of the willing

Helen speaking

Global Goals Room – Innovation Zone, hosted by KMPG

November 12

There is No Food Security Without Clean Cooking

Shakti speaking

SDG 7 Pavilion, hosted by Clean Cooking Alliance

Achieving NDC Targets through Clean Cooking Action

UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub, hosted by Clean Cooking Alliance

Capacity Building: Energy Literacy to Power a Greener Future The Commonwealth Secretariat

Helen speaking

SDG 7 Pavilion, hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat

November 14

Where is the Money for a Gender Just Transition

Dabira speaking

SDG 7 Pavilion, hosted by UNIDO

The role of partnerships across generations and countries in the just transition

Helen speaking

Nordic Pavilion, hosted by Danish Youth Delegates and the Danish Youth Climate Council

The Renewable Energy Sector as a Catalyst for Gender Equity

Eduarda speaking

SDG 7 Pavilion, hosted by GEAPP

Achieving Energy Security, Independence, and Sustainability with Renewables focused Local Action

Vaughn speaking

Multilevel Action Pavilion at COP 27, hosted by Scottish Gov, Cities & Regions in UNFCC process

Meeting between youth representatives and Mary Warlick, IEA Deputy Executive Director

Dabira and Eduarda

SEforALL Networking Reception: Women and Youth at the Forefront

SE attending

SDG 7 Pavilion, hosted by SEforALL

November 15

Game Changers Accelerating the Global Energy Transition

Eduarda speaking

Climate Action Rooms, hosted by IRENA, Marrakesh Partnership

Unlocking Potential: Working with Young People for a Just Transition

SE as Lead Organizer

We Mean Business Pavilion, hosted by Student Energy and We Mean Business

Africa’s Just Energy Transition: Scaling Up Renewable Energy Minigrids for People and Planet

Dabira speaking

UNDP Pavilion, hosted by UNDP, the GEF, the Rocky Mountains Institute, and the African Development Bank

Green Jobs in the Energy Transition

Vaughn speaking

We Mean Business Pavilion, hosted by the National Grid/WMB

Student Energy Summit 2023 Abu Dhabi: Uniting the Energy Transition

Grace speaking, Benji speaking

UEA Pavilion, hosted by SES 2023 Team

COP27 Energy Day Implementation Lab “A cleaner power sector by 2030: Scaling renewable and storage-based systems.”

Eduarda speaking

Lotus Room (Action Room 2), hosted by GWEC, IRENA, Renew Power, WBCSD

Indigenous & Youth Leadership in Canada’s Road to Net-zero

SE as Lead Organizer

Canada Pavilion, hosted by Student Energy & SevenGen

November 16

Orsted Energy Transition Skills Launch

SE as Lead Organizer

Danish Pavilion, hosted by SEforALL and Orsted

Meeting with Fiona Bezos Earth Fund

Shakti and Dabira

Canada Pavilion

Meeting with Nicolo at Enel

Shakti and Helen

Global Covenant of Mayors Interview

Helen

November 17

Meeting with Global Affairs Canada

Dabira, Helen, Akil, Irena pitching

SDG 7 Pavilion, hosted by Student Energy and SEforALL

Youthtopia Instagram Takeover

Shakti hosting on Instagram

Hosted by Youthtopia/Melati Wijsen

Kathleen, Rory, Maria and Jon are all students in NAIT’s Alternative Energy Technology program and members of their local Student Energy chapter. They are currently designing a roadmap to making the NAIT campus more sustainable.

What got you excited about energy efficiency?

Maria: It wasn’t until high school that I started looking at it [energy efficiency] as an actual career path. I saw a presentation from environmental engineers and that’s how I got exposed to the research and technology part of climate change. From taking courses in the Alternative Energy Technology program I’ve learned and realized that energy efficiency is the most attainable way to reduce our emissions. And it’s one of, I think, the easiest to implement.

Kathleen: They [the Alternative Energy Technology program] really drive it home that energy efficiency, or energy conservation, is probably the best solution to achieve a lot of our goals of being more sustainable.

Jon: I remember watching Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and just being blown away by it. It was always there in the back of my mind throughout high school. I became an electrician and worked a lot in mines and resource extraction, oil refineries, pulp mills- things like that- and I saw the vast amount of energy that we used. It was when I was travelling in New Zealand that I had the chance to build a wind turbine for a friend that I met that I decided that this is what I really wanted to do.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO PURSUE THIS PROJECT TOGETHER THROUGH THE LEADERS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM?

Maria: I asked the chair of our program for some ideas on what could be done for the project and he said that some administration staff had been reaching out to him asking if there was any space where teachers and students could collaborate and talk about the sustainability of NAIT. That’s kind of how I got the idea. I brought it up to the rest of the team and they wanted to do it!

Jon: I heard about the Fellowship through Maria and decided it would be a very cool thing to do to push my skills and knowledge.

Rory: Kathleen and Maria approached me, and they already had this idea kind of bubbling in their heads. I was looking for excuses at that point to…do some real world stuff that would push the boundaries in communication and interacting with other bodies as opposed to just learning technicalities and how [energy] systems work.

WHAT KIND OF IMPACT DO YOU THINK YOUR PROJECT WILL HAVE ON THE WAY PEOPLE ON THE NAIT CAMPUS AND IN THE COMMUNITY THINK AND ACT ON ENERGY CONSUMPTION?

Kathleen: Our project is mostly aimed towards the higher-ups within NAIT, to make change from the top-down. We’ve also been talking about how we can bring in the input of students…to show [NAIT] that there is genuine interest and necessity to do these things.

Jon: I think it will depend a lot on the willingness of the decision-makers at NAIT, and how they go forward as an institution as far as energy consumption and energy efficiency is concerned. There are some very visible and highly supportive things that we can do, that NAIT’s student association can do, like making better waste disposal categories and having water-saving taps in every bathroom. In terms of major improvements, I think it would have to come from the top at an institutional level.

SO, YOU’RE KIND OF HOLDING THE PLACE OF A LOBBYIST ON YOUR CAMPUS TO MAKE A CHANGE THROUGH THE INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL.

Kathleen: Not an easy task.

Rory: I’ve been pretty cynical at times of how the student body at NAIT perceives the [sustainability] issues we take to heart. There are people directly across the Alternative Energy Technology building at NAIT running massive boilers or training to be diesel engine technicians. There’s not a lot of impetus for change because the image NAIT has to keep up doesn’t depend on the values that we take to heart. That is, I think, the challenge in this. And that’s why we need to approach it from a top-down perspective.

Kathleen: Though I agree with Rory, I also disagree. I’ve talked to a lot of people at NAIT that just don’t know how to change it [NAIT] because they all have this idea- this image- of NAIT as being trades-oriented, which is typically more conservative in nature.

WHAT ARE YOUR LONG-TERM VISIONS FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN AT NAIT?

Jon: Our objective is to come up with a long-term vision, and some goals, for NAIT. There is the 2030 Goals Plan and they [NAIT] is also in the process of making a Vision 2050 Corporate Plan. So we could make suggestions to both of those timeframes. This could be something that could be picked up by our Student Energy chapter at NAIT, or the students association, or by faculty. Hopefully, it will be something that will continue on.

IN A BROADER SENSE, WHAT ROLE DO YOU SEE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN ACCELERATING THE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TRANSITION IN AN EQUITABLE WAY?

Kathleen: They [young people] are so much more aware that they can make a big difference going into the job market because they are learning everything about it and making more connections from what all the possibilities are out there. There’s a lot out there that young people are seeking out, not just it [information] being offered and not taken advantage of. I think there’s tons of interest and lots of leaders being formed out of necessity.

Rory: I might have a perspective that’s pretty different. I’ve been thinking a lot about late stage capitalism…what’s always been on my mind is affordability. What will my lifestyle be, how can I afford a house or a car, how will I end up living? Myself and a lot of my peers will choose differently [from the past] in how we live our lives, in the space that we take up, and in whether we choose to bring or not to bring children into the world. I can see a lot of tiny houses, location efficient urban living, and use of public transit. That’s how I see, going forward, the younger generation making efforts to have a much more minimal impact than previous generations.

HOW HAS THE LEADERS FELLOWSHIP SUPPORTED YOUR GOAL OF ACHIEVING NET-ZERO EMISSIONS AT YOUR CAMPUS?

Kathleen: We get a lot of good information!

Jon:  We just had our first meeting with our mentor and the energy that he brought to us was really invigorating. The channels are always open between Marcus, the Leaders Fellowship Coordinator, and the rest of the team that is running the program. We haven’t drawn on many resources yet but we feel like they’re there when we need them.

The Student Energy Leaders Fellowship was developed in part with the support of Energy Efficiency Alberta. As part of the ‘Building Energy Efficiency Champions’ project, Student Energy developed energy efficiency resources for the Fellowship online curriculum and provided mentorship for student teams in Alberta and across Canada.

ABOUT THE OGCI CHALLENGE TEAM:

The team of six individuals from across the globe will collaborate with the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), a voluntary, CEO-led oil and gas industry initiative that aims to accelerate the industry’s response to climate change. After learning about the organization’s work, including directly from OGCI staff, the Challenge team will be tasked with creating a report with recommendations to challenge and support OGCI’s existing and future climate action.

This is a unique opportunity to learn from critical players in the energy industry and have a meaningful voice as young climate leaders. The team will have access to direct interviews with OGCI staff and staff from the member companies that participate in OGCI workstreams. The team will also be coached by Student Energy on research and presentation skills. You will also have an incredible opportunity to understand from the inside how the oil and gas majors are  working on the energy transition towards net zero emissions, having the opportunity to collaborate with experts in the field along the way. This is a unique opportunity, offered by OGCI, to make recommendations that will help shape the low carbon future of some of the world’s largest energy companies and the future of your generation.

At the end of the challenge, the team will collectively write a report and recommendations for OGCI and its member companies. The team will also present its findings to the CEOs of each of the member companies and gain high-level exposure for their ideas. 

Young people between the ages of 18-30 from all countries, and all educational and professional backgrounds are invited to apply. 

Applications are open until June 10, 23:59 UTC, 2020.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1) How long is the term of the challenge team? 

The challenge team will work together from mid-June 2020, to the end of September 2020. In this time they will conduct research into OGCI and work together to write the report recommendations for the final report to be delivered in mid-September. After report writing is complete the team will prepare their presentation for the CEOs the presentation will take place between October – December 2020 – timing will be confirmed at a later date. 

2) What is the time commitment of the challenge team?

The time commitment is a minimum of 25 hours spread evenly from June-September 2020 with an additional 5 hours of presentation preparation. If there is interest, challenge team members may spend more time on the research and report writing. 

3) What recognition will you receive?

All team members will be listed as authors of the report that will be posted publicly on Student Energy’s website. You will also have the opportunity to be featured on our blog and social media. Opportunities for building your professional network, building your skill set and publishing more of your work may become available during the challenge. 

4) What support will the team have?

The challenge team will be directly coached by Student Energy’s staff. They will learn about how to effectively work with and advocate for change with a high-level audience, how to conduct research, presentation skills, in-depth energy knowledge, in-depth knowledge of Paris Agreement targets and more.

As well as being green, wind energy is one of the cheapest ways of generating electricity, and it is currently the most common generating technology for new installations in Canada. According to Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA), more than 11,000 MW electricity is generated from installed wind turbines in Canada as of 2016 [1], and “In the last five years, Canada has seen more wind energy capacity installed than any other form of electricity generation, averaging 1275 MW of new build each year”. In order to make the generated wind energy more profitable comparing to fossil fuels, cost per kilowatt needs to be minimized. “Cost” in general refers to manufacturing and installation costs, and operation and maintenance costs. In terms of operation and maintenance cost control, there are three main strategies: Reactive, Preventive and Predictive maintenance [2].

A reactive strategy [3] means to run a component until it is damaged and causes the wind turbine (or a machine in general) to shut down. Subsequently, the repair is performed and operation resumes until the next incident. This strategy is not economical; the reason being, sudden component repairs and replacements could cost much more than planned maintenance, and also the breakdown of a component in the drive-train could damage other components, which itself is an additional cost. With reactive strategy, the operation budget is harder to control since the breakdown of a component is unpredictable, and spare parts or required contractors may not be available immediately.

A preventive maintenance [4] is a planned maintenance strategy (time-based) which is triggered and scheduled based on events. It relies heavily on operator experience, age of the machine, and manufacturer recommendations. The fundamental assumption is that an operating component has a certain life and is to be replaced or repaired at specific time frames. The main problem with preventive maintenance is that the intervals between inspections in most cases are too long to detect a defect at its early stage. The other issue with the preventive maintenance strategy is that the scheduled inspection intervals are based on the average operation conditions, whereas each wind turbine and wind farm has its own site and operating condition. The manufacturer recommended inspection schedule for a same component may not be suitable for a wind farm in different location, and most likely the 20-year operation life might not be met.

A predictive maintenance [5], which is also called condition-based strategy, is the cost-optimal strategy. It is performed by monitoring the status of the machine, based on several sets of data (such as vibration, oil, temperature, etc.). By analyzing the online data, the operator can potentially detect the issues as early as possible and schedule applicable economical remedies. For example, wind farm operators in Canada do not tend to schedule any maintenance in winter time due to the harsh weather and the cost. If they follow the reactive or preventive maintenance strategies, a sudden breakdown of a component might happen in winter and they do not have any other option other than shutting down the turbine and replace the part. However, if they detect the defect early enough by data analysis, they could effectively apply temporary remedies to delay the breakdown and have the part replaced in warmer seasons. Through this strategy, wind farm operators can also repair and replace a group of parts at the same time, as one of the major costs of wind turbine repair is the daily cost of crane rental. Instead of renting a crane for a few days to change only one part, they can replace a group of damaged components on several wind turbines in the farm.

Wind turbine failure is mostly associated with the abrupt changes of wind speed and direction. It causes severe stress and fatigue condition that can result in blades, rotor, coupling, gearbox, and bearings to fail more easily than in other mechanical systems. Drive-train failure is a common problem in mechanical systems. It is also one of the most studied problems in the field of mechanical component condition monitoring. Although there have been a large number of techniques developed for fault diagnosis, a reliable and easy-to-understand method that can deal with variable speed applications has not emerged. This represents the gap between research community and a broad range of industries in the field. From experience, older wind turbines have an annual maintenance cost of 3% (in average) of the original cost of the turbine. Condition monitoring and predictive maintenance can prevent fault propagation and significantly reduce maintenance cost. Canada as one of the leaders in renewable energy marketing and production, with the large number of wind turbines already installed, is focusing on maintenance and reliability issues to maximize turbine availability.

Several advanced signal processing schemes to improve reliability of machine diagnostics and prevent misdiagnosis have been developed. Yet, the industry typically relies on simple techniques. For industry, the problem is not lack of sophisticated diagnostic techniques, but rather scarcity of simple yet reliable approaches to support unskilled operators make important decisions without a specialist, or automated systems to allow a small group of engineers to run large wind farms.

Fault Diagnosis Techniques:

Fault diagnosis is the main part of the predictive maintenance approach, which is done before root causes analysis and prognosis. The wind power industry mainly uses three main techniques to detect drive-train faults:

1. Oil Analysis

Oil analysis is used extensively in the wind energy industry as a useful method to monitor bearings and gearboxes [6]. Lubricant samples are collected in order to assess whether the lubricant is still healthy. Also, contaminants in the lubricant can indicate if any environmental debris/dirt or wear particles are present in the lubricant which significantly could reduce the service life by causing machine wear.

The procedure includes oil sampling, analytical tests and data analysis [7], which provides information on form, quantity, and size of the derbies. If there are wear particles in the oil samples, as a result of a defect in the component, the defect is potentially severe and immediate action needs to be taken. While this technique has proven to be useful, oil analysis cannot be used to detect the location of the defect in the component, as they are usually manufactured from a same material [8].

2. Temperature Analysis

Thermocouples or similar devices (e.g. Resistance Temperature Detector- RTD) are attached to the component to collect temperatures to analyze the gradient [9]. However, while this method is useful, thermal analysis is also not a robust analysis to detect the location and size of the faults, specially in bearings [7]. Non-destructive infrared thermography method, on the other hand, is capable of detecting faults at their early stages providing their locations, yet this method is not currently cost efficient and easy to implement for wind turbines [10].

3. Vibration Analysis

Vibration analysis is perhaps the most efficient type of drive-train defect detection method [11]. For example, an undamaged bearing generates a steady state vibration, but a fault in any elements of it can change the condition and produce noticeable vibration impulses. In other words, fault(s) on bearing element amplify the vibration. Therefore vibration analysis is a great tool to detect these types of changes. Vibration analysis (including time domain, frequency domain and combination of time and frequency domains) of mechanical components has been used for a long time in both academia and industry, and has been significantly improved during almost the last two decades. In terms of wind turbine application, the very old turbines did not benefit from online vibration monitoring, but today’s installed turbines are typically fully equipped with vibration sensors on different parts of the drivetrain including main bearing, gearbox, gearbox bearings, and generator bearings, and an operation centre monitors the status of the drive-train [12]. For a typical 1.5 MW wind turbine, eight to eleven vibration sensors are installed on the drive-train [13]. For these wind turbines there is one sensor on the main bearing, six on the gearcase, and four on the generator bearings (two on drive-end and two on non-drive-end bearings). Vibrations from the wind turbine drive-train, unlike oil samples, can be monitored remotely from the diagnosis center. There are several communication configurations, but typically a group of wind turbines are connected locally to a small server, which itself is connected to wind farm server via wireless connection. The wind farm server is then connected to the diagnosis server via a local-area network (LAN) and can be controlled and monitored remotely.

References:

[1] http://canwea.ca/wind-energy/installed-capacity

[2] C. A. Walford, Wind turbine reliability: understanding and minimizing wind turbine operation and maintenance costs. United States. Department of Energy, 2006.

[3] L. Swanson, “Linking maintenance strategies to performance,” International journal of production economics, vol. 70, no. 3, pp. 237–244, 2001.

[4] J. Nilsson and L. Bertling, “Maintenance management of wind power systems using condition monitoring systems- life cycle cost analysis for two case studies,” IEEE Transactions on energy conversion, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 223–229, 2007.

[5] A. Kusiak and W. Li, “The prediction and diagnosis of wind turbine faults,” Renewable

Energy, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 16–23, 2011.

[6] W. Musial, S. Butterfield, and B. McNiff, “Improving wind turbine gearbox reliability,” in European Wind Energy Conference, Milan, Italy, pp. 7–10, 2007.

[7] A. Rezaei, Fault Detection and Diagnosis on the rolling element bearing. PhD thesis, Carleton University Ottawa, 2007.

[8] T. Akagaki, M. Nakamura, T. Monzen, and M. Kawabata, “Analysis of the behaviour of rolling bearings in contaminated oil using some condition monitoring techniques,” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part J: Journal of Engineering Tribology, vol. 220, no. 5, pp. 447–453, 2006.

[9] H. Maxwell, “How to install maintainable bearing temperature sensors,”

[10] W. Kim, J. Seo, and D. Hong, “Infrared thermographic inspection of ball bearing; condition monitoring for defects under dynamic loading stages,” in 18lh World Conference on Nondestructive Testing, Durban, no. 256, Citeseer, 2012.

[11] W.Wang and O. A. Jianu, “A smart sensing unit for vibration measurement and monitoring,” IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 70–78, 2010.

[12] R. Hyers, J. McGowan, K. Sullivan, J. Manwell, and B. Syrett, “Condition monitoring and prognosis of utility scale wind turbines,” Energy Materials, 2013.

[13] S. Sheng, H. Link, W. LaCava, J. Van Dam, B. McNiff, P. Veers, J. Keller, S. Butterfield, and F. Oyague, “Wind turbine drivetrain condition monitoring during grc phase 1 and phase 2 testing,” Contract, vol. 303, pp. 275–3000, 2011.