EUREL Field Trip

EUREL Field Trip 2024 - Summary by our YEP-Representative Lara Sanz Serrano from Spain. 

The 2024 EUREL Field Trip took place in Madrid, Spain from July 16-19. It was hosted by the General Council of Official Chambers of Industrial Engineers and the Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros Industriales de Madrid (COIIM). For four days, the young participants were able to visit different institutions and companies related to electrical engineering and explore the city of Madrid.

On the first day we had the presentation of the event at the modern headquarters of COIIM. In the evening, we enjoyed a snack on the rooftop and got to know each other.

The next day we travelled to Ávila to visit a wind farm. Surrounded by a beautiful mountain landscape, we were able to learn about the operation of the wind farm, managed by Endesa, and we were even able to enter one of the wind turbines. In the afternoon, we toured the center of Madrid. We learned about the city's history and customs through a route of century-old taverns, where we were able to taste the specialties of some of them.

The following day we visited the Central Laboratory of Electrical Engineering (LCOE) in TecnoGetafe. The professionals who work there showed us the high and medium voltage, photometry, energy efficiency, EMC and refrigeration laboratories. Then we went to Red Eléctrica, where we visited the control center and learned about the Spanish electricity system. In the afternoon, we took a pleasant, guided tour of the Retiro Park.

On the last day, the visit combined technology and culture: we visited the Pacífico engine shed of Metro de Madrid. It was built in 1922 and served until 1972. We also visited the old station lobby, which still looks as it did when it was built in 1923.

The trip ended as it began, at the COIIM headquarters where we said goodbye to our new friends. It has been a wonderful four days of learning, discovering Madrid and making friends. See you soon!

Our most recent addition to EUREL, the Association of Energy and Electrical Engineers (AIEE) undertook the honour of hosting this year’s EUREL Field Trip in Romania. Over the course of nine days, a group of young engineers had the opportunity to explore a beautiful and diverse country.

After the first evening of getting to know each other, the following days were thoughtfully structured to provide an immersive experience within Bucharest itself. The group embarked on exploratory journeys through the city, including its historic old town, and partook in a tour of the Palace of Parliament. On the fourth day, they escaped the hot city streets of Bucharest and made their way to Fundata in the mountains. En route, they paused for their first technical visit to the Vidraru Hydro Power plant at the Vidraru Dam, affording them an exclusive insight into the production processes of hydroelectricity. To finish off their day in Fundata, the group passed Transfăgărășan, a well-paved mountain road crossing the southern reaches of Romania’s Carpathian Mountains.

The following day started in Transylvania with the legendary Castle of Dracula and the Bran Castle. Their itinerary included a final technical stop at the Sinaia 0 hydroelectrical power plant before commencing their journey back to Bucharest.

AIEE has important connections in the tech scene, one of them Phoenix Contact in Bucharest.  Besides learning about the hundred-year history of the company and getting insights into new business areas, they also empower the industry and society to forge ahead with the transformation of an All Electrical Society. Another significant interaction took place with Rompetrol Energy, positioned along the Black Sea Coast, further enriching their understanding of the energy sector. The final stop led the group to a wind farm, granting them a unique perspective into the operation of wind turbines. Returning to Bucharest, the group dedicated their final day to the Bucharest International Air Show (BIAS), Romania’s largest air show as well as the Water Park.

Each night of the EUREL Field Trip the group soaked up the rich culture and tradition of Romania, shared lots of dances and fostered the blossoming of newfound friendships. The farewell party provided an opportunity for each participant to share their most cherished moments, lasting memories, and valuable insights gleaned during these past few days.

The EUREL Field Trip proved to be a truly enriching experience, characterized by the exchange of inspiring ideas, the establishment of a professional network, and the forging of enduring friendships. Beyond personal and professional growth opportunities, the participants gained exclusive impressions and insights into various technical sites, thereby enhancing their knowledge base for future career and academic pursuits.

The EUREL Field Trip 2022 could finally happen again after the "pandemic break" and was targeting the young engineers in the electrotechnical field .  In 2022 our Austrian Member, OVE (Österreichischer Verband für Elektrotechnik), took the lead and organized it in Vienna (Austria) from 19 to 23 August, with the help of EUREL YEP (Young Engineers Panel) and its Vice chair Fabian Zavarsky.

The central idea was to re-establish face-to-face contact with electrical engineering colleagues after the pandemic. To this end, the Field Trip comprised a lot of different cultural sights alongside the conventional technological facilities to be visited.

On the day of arrival, OVE invited the participants to a reception at the rooftop terrace of the House of Engineers. The central topic of the following day was the sociability for which Austria is very well known. In the morning the group started to visit the famous Stift Klosterneuburg north of Vienna. After a brief tour through the history of wine production and the Stift itself, the group headed to a delicate wine tasting. For the afternoon a visit to the second biggest brewery in Austria, named after its location in Vienna’s 16th district Ottakring was planned. After the tour through the brewery and an explanation of the different types of beers which are brewed, the group visited the Ottakringer summer festival.

Sunday was provided as a mostly free time slot, to get the possibility to become acquainted with the historic capital of Austria. Only in the morning a guided city tour was provided for the participants to get some background information and the historical basics. The day ended with a dinner at a restaurant situated at the Danube River.

On Monday 22 August a technological tour started in the morning with a bus ride to the thermal power plant of Theiß with an installed power of around 800 MW. The tour comprised a brief presentation of Austria’s Energy production and consumption, a tour through the plant and a dinner at the visitor’s centre. After lunch the group headed upstream the Danube River and visited the famous Nuclear Power Plant Zwentendorf which has never been operational. Since it was a once in a lifetime experience to get to visit such a facility, the tour took nearly double the time as usual. Finally, not to miss out on sociality, the evening was spent at a traditional Austrian wine tavern in the picturesque region of Wachau. 

On the last day of the EUREL Field Trip we had the pleasure to visit the main garage of the Wiener Linien, the public transport company of Vienna. It is in this respect the biggest garage in hold of a city. Most interestingly, the main garage of the Wiener Linien maintains all their vehicles whether busses, trams or subway trains themselves. Subsequently, the farewell lunch took place in the main garage’s own canteen. It was very pleasant to meet colleagues from all over Europe and spend time together visiting both cultural and technical facilities. 

EUREL thanks OVE for the organisation of the field trip which was a good mix of technological visits and networking opportunities.

You can read more about the EUREL Field Trip in Vienna in OVE website (in German)

The Portuguese engineers association known as “Ordem dos Engenheiros” (OE) supported by its College of Electrotechnical Engineering and EUREL’s Young Engineers’Panel (YEP) organized 2019’s Field Trip to Portugal.

The group of young engineers had the opportunity to contact various aspects of the electrical industry and some running control systems in Portugal.

It was also an opportunity to develop social and technical relationships between the young members of the Group and the engineers of the companies they have visited.

During the stay, some visits were made to electricity production plants (Alqueva Hydroelectric Power Plant), a Smart Grid System in the city of Évora (INOVGRID, from the local electric distribution company) and the Medium Voltage Storage facilities to support Évora region MT Distribution Grid. Two control centres were visited: railway control system and a shared bicycle Lisbon network operational centre.

A research complex owned by a important European manufacturer of electrical systems was visited, where young engineers can understand some aspects of home automation, security and artificial intelligence solutions.

Complementing the technical visits, the young engineers visited the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Museum where, for around 3 hours, they were guided into the extraordinary collections of classical and modern art, as well as an approach to the architecture of the building.

Field Trip contributed to strengthen personal ties between participants and allowed contact with the technical and cultural reality of the urban area of Lisbon and the southern region of Portugal. 

The Polish Association of Electrical Engineers (SEP – Stowarzyszenie Elektryków Polskich) organized the first YEP Field Trip to Poland on August 18-25, 2018. Four YEP representatives were also present: 2 from Austria (OVE) and 2 from Israel (SEEEI). During the entire trip, the participants were assisted by their colleagues from SEP’s Students’ Coordination Board (SRK SEP).

The event started in Warsaw, capital of the country, with sightseeing and a visit to Copernicus Science Centre on the bank of the Vistula river. Afterwards the participants visited the SEP Headquarters office in Warsaw before going to the Kozienice Power Plant. The sightseeing there focused on the latest, eleventh power unit with a capacity of 1075 MW. The group was particularly interested to see Europe’s most modern turbine generator set of this capacity, supplied by Mitsubishi-Hitachi Power Systems Co.

From Kozienice the group travelled to Cracow – ancient capital of Poland. There the most important place to see for the group was the ABB Corporate Research Centre, where trip participants had an opportunity to learn about high-power charging stations for electric vehicles, non-invasive diagnostic solutions for power transformers and high-power motors, wireless power transmission and CRC’s achievements in robot programming.

One day was devoted to visiting the two most visited locations in Cracow area: the former Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz and the Salt Mine in Wieliczka.

From the South of the country the group moved North to Gdańsk, one of most important seaports on the Baltic Sea shore with long Hanseatic history and tradition. Our group visited the LOTOS Oil Refinery Plant located near the city to observe the process of crude oil fractionation, manufacturing of various petroleum products and had an opportunity to see how the accompanying industrial processes are controlled.

A more detailed report with pictures is available on the SEP website.
 

SEEEI (The Society of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Israel) and EUREL's Young Engineers' Panel (YEP) organized the Field Trip to Israel in 2017.

To get an insight of the activities and experience during the trip, have a look at the official report as well as at the exciting blog of one of the participants and his peers!

The EUREL Field Trip offered the opportunity to meet with decision makers of Israel's energy and electrical industry, to study the limitations of an isolated and young energy market, and to learn about the impact of Natural Gas fields discovery.

The EUREL Field Trip included among others a Technology Tour (Programme) to conventional and renewable power generation facilities, and gave a glimpse of the many historical sites of the Holy Land.

The Field Trip included a visit to Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city at the northern tip of the Red Sea, and provided the opportunity to take part in Electricity 2017, the annual convention of SEEEI. Participants of the EUREL Field Trip also presented posters during the convention.

Furthermore, the students and young engineers took actively part in the International Panel (which was co-organized by EUREL YEP) and had the opportunity to network with Israeli students and the young engineers forum. At the International Panel it was discussed how global trends will influence and change the energy sector. The main topic was “The struggle of digital transformation in established industries - fusion of formerly unrelated industry branches”.

For more insights, have a look at the report and the impressive blog of one of the participants!

The Electrotechnical Association of Slovenia - young (youngEZS) and EUREL's Young Engineers' Panel (YEP) organized 2016's Field Trip to Slovenia. 

During the Field Trip students and young engineers were able to get to know Slovenian perspectives on electrical engineering. The trip offered the opportunity to get to know Slovenia and its capital Ljubjlana. 

It was a great chance to establish new contacts across all EUREL member associations and encouraged international exchange and intercultural communication between the participants and hosts.

The excursions during the Field Trip included among others visits of the Milan Vidmar Electric Power Research Institute, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana, the Technical Museum of Slovenia as well as the city centre of Ljubljana and Kranj.

The Field Trip offered the participants the opportunity to interact with electrotechnical professionals, young professionals and students. At the same time it was a great chance to get to know Slovenian culture and customs.

The Society of Power Engineers in Romania (SIER) - Tineret (organisation for young engineers within SIER) and EUREL's Young Engineers' Panel (YEP) organized 2015's Field Trip to Romania.
The Field Trip pursued the objective to get to know electrical engineering in Romania and to expand the European network for students and young engineers. The trip did not only offer the opportunity to get to know the urban regions of Bucharest and Constanta, but also gave a chance to establish new contacts to people from all over the EUREL member associations. Furthermore, it encouraged international exchange and intercultural communication.

Taking into account EUREL's mission, the content focused on technical issues. Given the cooperation with SIER-Tineret it was possible to organise the Field Trip around the main topic of power engineering.

Among others four power engineering companies were visited as well as the House of Parliament in Romania's capital and the historical centre of Bucharest. There was also a trip to the Black Sea. 

The Field Trip offered the participants the opportunity to interact with energy professionals, young professionals and students. At the same time it was a great chance to get to know Romania, its culture and customs.