ETF team make Serbia proud at world’s largest student competition for energy efficiency solutions

The H-Bridges team of students from the University of Belgrade School of Electrical Engineering (ETF) won 4th place and the Best Education Impact award in the International Future Energy Challenge 2018, the world’s largest student competition in the area of innovative and energy efficiency solutions, held in Beijing from July 18 to 22. The first three places went to universities from China, while the Serbian team was ahead of competitors from Germany, the US, Singapore, and Taiwan, as well as other competitors from China.

The H-Bridges team of 16 students from different ETF departments had been developing a device for the competition since May 2017. This year’s competition focused on the development of energy storage devices.

But the financial road to the competition in Beijing was not so smooth. Even though it passed the semifinal, held in San Antonio, the U.S., as the only team from Europe to do so alongside peers from the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, the ETF team faced the problem of covering travel expenses to China. Balkan Green Energy News helped them by publishing an appeal to companies to support the Belgrade team in competing with their peers. Following the appeal, Mining and Energy Minister Aleksandar Antić met the team and promised them his support.

The H-Bridges team made an excellent result for the University of Belgrade and Serbia in the world’s largest student competition in the area of innovative and energy efficiency solutions, Aleksandar Milić, teaching assistant at the ETF Department of Power Converters and Drive Systems, told Balkan Green Energy News.

“The device developed in the ETF laboratory of digital control of electrical drives met almost all competition requirements,” he said.

During 75 minutes of final testing, 13 out of 15 tests were successfully completed. The main tasks prescribed by the competition were fulfilled, such as bidirectional energy transfer and maximum output power of 1000W in the charging and discharging battery modes. In addition, the team managed to achieve the required energy efficiency in different operating modes, to limit the ripples in relevant currents and voltages within the allowed limits. Protective and control functions were implemented (state machine with an intuitive menu), while the required weight of the device, as well as the thermal and acoustic influence on the environment, were also met.

Companies provide support

 As promised, Balkan Green Energy News is publishing the list of companies that made it possible for some of Serbia’s best young minds to shine:

Typhoon HIL

Elsys Eastern Europe

Nordeus

ICCE

uPrinc

Montprojekt

Hi-Tech Corp.

Srbijagas

Elektromreža Srbije

Elektroprivreda Srbije.