This year’s Be Inspired contest launched already in March with over 250 projects from 6 continents and 15 countries entered for the first competition phase. Of these only 51 qualified for the next stage, where they rivalled for prizes in seventeen categories. Energoprojekt was the only Polish unit to pass into the second phase of the contest. The final round took place on October 12-14 in Charlotte, N.C., at an international Be Inspired conference. Representing the company in the finals were CAD specialists Tomasz Wojnar and Andrzej Kuropka.
“We went there full of hope, but also with some qualms. The competition was overwhelming – leading engineering firms all over the world, like Bechtel, Parsons or Sargent&Lundy”, recall the competition participants.
The Polish project was entered in the Energy Innovation category and involved the PS-20 solar tower in Sanlucar la Mayor, about 25 kilometres away from Sevilla in Spain. PS-20 is part of a „Solucar Platform” project under construction by the company Abengoa. To be completed in 2013, Solucar Platform will consist of a large complex of solar-powered energy plants with a joint power capacity of 300 MW. It will produce electricity for 180,000 households in nearby Sevilla. Energoprojekt Gliwice’s share in this novatory project involved the design of thermo-solar power plants and parabolic mirrors. Energoprojekt also prepared the blueprints for the Eureka 5 power plant used in research on new solar technology solutions.
The PS-20 plant is the biggest of its kind in the world. Equipped with 1,255 120 m2 heliostats, it incessantly tracks the sun, tapping its energy into a heat receiver at the top of its 162-metre tower.
The steam produced in the process drives a turbine, which in turn drives an electric generator. PS-20’s nominal power is 20MW of “clean” (non-CO2-emitting) energy.
Participating in the conference were the world’s leading engineering corporations, local authorities, press and TV. The first conference day was devoted to presentations of winning projects in among others transport, building construction, road and bridge construction, oil processing and energy. On the competition jury were independent experts in a variety of research and industrial fields. The presentations were also keenly monitored by Bentley representatives, who were especially impressed by state-of-the-art 3D design, document management and change management tools.
The competition results were announced at a gala patterned on the famous Oscar ceremonies attended by almost 500 people.
Energoprojekt Gliwice received the main prize in the Energy Innovation category, its project aroused broad interest at the conference.
Among the admirers was Jay McGraw from McGraw-Hill, who said the following about the competition winners:
“I am delighted to be here this evening to personally congratulate the Be Inspired Award winners and express my admiration for the remarkable achievements of infrastructure professionals, who improve quality of life for us all.”