Last week, IST in Lisbon invited the ENTECH and SELECT Master's programs on a technical visit to the gorgeous Açores island of São Miguel off of Portugal. The Açores islands are one of the best sites for geothermal energy in the world, so naturally that is where the visit started. We first went to the headquarters of Electricidade dos Açores (EDA) to hear some presentations from the CEO, Duarte Ponte, and two engineers working there, David Estrela and Fernando Henriques. We were taken to some of the geysers to see the incredible natural boiling water coming from the Earth, which is what was used to cook our lunch! We ate at the Caldeiras Restaurante-Bar after watching them actually cooking our meal in the hot springs (talk about free, clean energy!). The steamed codfish and vegetables were incredible, especially knowing that they were cooked simply by the heat of the Earth's natural resources.
After lunch, we visited the Pico Vermelho geothermal power plant. Dr. Maria da Graça Rangel gave a short presentation on the plant before showing it to us since once we went to the plant, it was quite loud to hear anything. The Pico Vermelho plant of 13 MW combined with four more geothermal plants on the island of 16.6 MW, provide a total power of almost 30 MW of geothermal energy, covering around 35% of the island's electricity needs. It was the first geothermal plant I had ever been to and despite the noise of the high-pressure steam being expelled from four different pipes, it felt very calm and clean to be producing 13 MW of electricity.
We then went to see some breaktaking views at Lagoa do Fogo (literally translated to Lake of Fire), where due to the crazy changing of rain to sun every five minutes, we witnessed a rainbow overlooking this gorgeous lake.
The next day brought us to the Caldeirão thermal plant. Here we were given brief presentations by engineers Egído Oliveira and Crispim Borges da Ponte. Then we strapped on our helmets and ear plugs and got to explore the plant. It was a stark contrast to the quite clean geothermal plant we had visited the day before, with oil covering many equipment parts and the extreme noise drowning out any sound of our voices. In contrast to the mere 13 MW of the Pico Vermelho plant though, this plant provides a whopping 98 MW of power, covering around 54% of the island's electricity needs from just one plant.
Caldeirão thermal plant
We then had another traditional lunch at the Miroma restaurant, this time various meats and vegetables cooked by geothermal energy and visited the region of Furnas (so-named due to the several geysers, or "furnaces" in this area). The plentiful geysers was a true testament to the energy Earth can provide us with without the need to dig down too deep. After seeing some more incredible viewpoints over pristine lakes, the trip came to an end.
Lagoas das Sete Cidades: Lagoa Verde e Lagoa Azul
It was an incredible couple of days in São Miguel island. Thank you so much to EDA and the ENTECH and SELECT MScs for sponsoring the technical visit and to all the amazing coordinators and staff at IST for their hard work in planning the trip and being our trusty photographers: Marta Abrantes, Duarte de Mesquita e Sousa, José Alberto Caiado Falcão de Campos, Jorge Matos and José Manuel Vaz Velho Barbosa Marques.
Technical Visit to the Açores
Rachel Sadok
21 April
Today marks two years that I applied for the InnoEnergy
Master’s program. Little did I know how much my life would change just by
taking that step. The deadline for the first round to apply for all programs is
rapidly approaching – only a few days away! If you have any doubt about
applying for this incredible adventure, read this and you will be scrambling to
fill in your application.
Being a part of the SELECT Master’s, I have travelled to
Krakow, Poland, Eindhoven, Netherlands and Stockholm, Sweden, each for one
week; on top of the fact that I lived in Barcelona, Spain for one year and
Lisbon, Portugal for five months. We have learned about so many other cultures
and made friends from several different backgrounds. InnoEnergy is truly a program of mobility and
through this, we have met other students from all over the world who are all
striving for the same thing: create a sustainable future.
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| Some fellow SELECTers and I at the 2016 European Utility Week in Barcelona, Spain - an opportunity afforded to us by being a part of InnoEnergy! |
The InnoEnergy CommUnity has also been one of the most
incredible parts of the Master’s for me. Being a representative has helped me
enrichen my leadership skills and learn how to plan events that inspire and
educate. Through the CommUnity I have also been fortunate to participate in
meetings around Europe that show the drive and determination we all have to become
the largest community of students striving for sustainability in the world.
This is a unique Master’s program, unlike any other: you get
an education from two different universities in two different countries,
friends from around the world that will be your InnoEnergy family for life and
skills that will open many possibilities for you when you (sadly) finish.
Two years ago, I could not have imagined the person I would
be today. InnoEnergy has helped develop me into a leader, one that aims to
inspire and create the most sustainable world we want to be a part of. So what
are you waiting for? Go apply and become the change!
A Case for the Best Master's Program
Rachel Sadok
23 February
