Although they did not win any prizes, the projects presented by Bandora, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that collects data generated by buildings and uses it to implement real-time solutions, helping to reduce energy consumption by up to 40%, and Voltaware, a platform for analysing information and managing electricity consumption in the home, received much applause. ‘It is possible, for example, to maintain fixed temperatures in public buildings, ensuring cost savings,’ explained Márcia Pereira of Bandora. Living in London, Frenchman François Gruber-Magitot, responsible for Voltaware's application, praised the importance of the Colmeia programme in educating the population. ‘This competition is very important because, in many ways, it allows people to learn more about financial literacy,’ he said.
Active community in energy transition
In the ‘IN. COMMUNITY’ section, the projects involved the active participation of residents in the innovation and energy transition process. Participants had the opportunity to develop their innovative ideas, receive expert guidance and access resources to turn their ideas into reality, and in the end, three projects were selected.
The Suntech Workflow project came first and received a prize of €12,500, which it used to develop a solution that analyses and suggests optimisations for solar energy installation companies. ‘This competition was the right place to develop an idea and find the solution to a problem,’ said Mohsen Motamedi, the project manager. Born in Iran, a student at the Instituto Superior Técnico, and living in Lisbon, Mohsen says that Galp allowed him to create ‘a synergy between the projects and their execution’.
In second place, with financial support of €7,500, was the ‘Bairro’ project, which works on installing photovoltaic panels to supply energy in order to mitigate energy poverty in one of the most deprived neighbourhoods of Matosinhos. ‘With the creation of a photovoltaic unit, the production will revert to social entities,’ explained Pedro Vieira, a Galp employee and author of the award-winning project.
With a prize of €5,000, third place went to ‘Energia com vida’ (Energy with life), which works on a system of piezoelectric trampolines to convert the kinetic energy generated by people into electrical energy and distribute it where it is needed. João Lopes, author of the initiative, revealed that the trampolines can be installed in ‘discos, gyms, popular festivals and children's areas’ and activated by ‘jumping, dancing or gymnastics’. ‘Where there is movement, there is energy,’ he said.