Launch of the 2023 E4C International Student Challenge
The Energy4Climate Interdisciplinary Center (E4C) 2023 Student Challenge “Save the Energy, Save the World” kick-started on February 1st.
The interdisciplinary research center Energy4Climate (E4C), established in June 2019 by the Institut Polytechnique de Paris and the École des Ponts ParisTech, is actively contributing to the energy transition through research, training and innovation. The E4C brings together some thirty laboratories working on eight cross-cutting themes aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency, expand the distribution of renewable energies and evaluate public policy.
Organized for the first time in 2019, the E4C student challenge is an annual initiative focusing on a different aspect of energy and climate issues each year. The E4C challenge prioritizes complex, interdisciplinary approaches, bringing together students with a variety of skills. All projects must have a contextualized, economically and socially viable application.
All participants receive guidance from a network of mentors from the professional sphere, and a panel of leading scientists and entrepreneurs assess their work. More than a hundred students were welcomed for the past editions, divided into groups of 4 to 7, and coming from 9 Grandes Ecoles and Universities.
The 2023 E4C International Student Challenge focuses on solution to reduce energy consumption by learning from the experience in France at the end of 2022, where the call for sobriety has resulted in a reduction of about 8% in electricity consumption due to the almost total cessation of Russian gas deliveries to Europe and the lack of availability of the French nuclear fleet.
This Challenge aims to encourage energy saving efforts to improve energy efficiency. Hence, students are challenged to work on a case study based on a real-life experience to prpose possible solutions to reduce energy consumption.
The teams involved will work on a "present scenario" and have until the 24th of February to register their group and submit the first deliverable. Over the next month, each team will work on possible solutions for a more efficient use of energy, improving this "present scenario". This process will be accompanied by high-level professors. Teams will then present their solutions through an explanatory note and a video-pitch on March 24th. The closing ceremony will take place on March 31st.
Winning prizes includes: 1st rank: 3000€ per team, 2nd rank: 2000€ per teal, 3rd rank: 1000€ per team and for the 4th to 10th rank : a green gift card per participant.
The winning teams will also have the opportunity to present their project at the EuroTeQaThon, at CTU (Prague) with all fees funded, thanks to a collaboration with EuroteQ.
For students coming from the École Polytechnique, participation in the E4C Challenge can count towards the Sustainable Development Certificate.
In place since 2019 for engineering students and since 2021 for three of our MSc programs, the Sustainable Development Certificate is an optional, additional diploma which will be open to all students in the long term. The Sustainable Development Certificate combines multiple approaches to knowledge acquisition and know-how. Students choose modules from a list of options, building up a solid base of specialist knowledge derived from leading academic sources.
École Polytechnique delivered its first Sustainable Development Certificate in 2022.