Student Innovation Shines: Five Finalist Teams Identified for the Universities for Goal 13 Competition, Hosted by the SDSN and Siemens Gamesa

The SDSN and Siemens Gamesa continue to support young innovators as student teams worldwide showcase their inventive solutions for environmental sustainability in the third 'Universities for Goal 13' competition, collaborating across disciplines to address global energy challenges.

From June 25 to 27, student teams worldwide participated in the pitch week of the third edition of the "Universities for Goal 13" competition, convened by the collaboration established between the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE). With the aim of mobilizing undergraduate and graduate university students, the competition was established to create practical solutions for achieving environmental sustainability (SDG 13) from multi-disciplinary perspectives and in a collaborative way. Launched in December, the 2024 competition, which marks the 3rd edition of this initiative, welcomed solutions from an array of disciplines that can viably support the energy transition.

Student teams were chosen from six SDSN Network Member institutions: Tsinghua University in China, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Case Western Reserve University in the U.S.A., Monash University in Australia, and the University of Southampton in the UK. Eleven teams, consisting of over 50 students, presented their final projects to sustainability and energy experts from SDSN and Siemens Gamesa and Siemens Energy. The projects were judged based on criteria including the level of novelty, feasibility, disruptive potential, alignment with the SDGs, and the quality of the presentation.

The variety of projects presented by the teams showcased a wide range of innovative solutions addressing sustainability and energy challenges. These included using HVAC systems for CO2 capture, cleaning oil reservoirs with engineered bacteria, mapping energy networks, repurposing oil platforms for wind energy, transferring decommissioned PV modules to low-income countries, or promoting hydroponics in K-12 education, among others.

These projects were developed with guidance from teaching staff and mentors at Siemens Gamesa, who assisted in shaping and refining their proposals. The quality of the projects greatly impressed the judges, demonstrating exceptional innovation and thorough research. The detailed and well-developed proposals showcased the students' deep understanding of sustainability and energy issues, as well as their ability to create practical and impactful solutions.

The five projects advancing to the final round are:

Upcyclothes: a new chance for unwanted garments

Started in Hong Kong by four students from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, this project introduces an innovative approach, more practical, convenient, and sustainable-friendly, to address textile and plastic waste issues by upcycling used clothing into eco-friendly grocery bags. By offering an alternative to purchasing new or upcycled bags at high costs, the initiative aims to educate and empower individuals with practical skills while contributing to tackling climate change.

⧫ Focal points: Zheng Yi, Head of Office, Institute for SDGs at Tsinghua University; Joseph Chan and Ada Chan, Managers, SDSN Hong Kong.

Solar Sprout

Led by students at Case Western University to address the loss of valuable farmland, Solar Sprout is an emerging energy and sustainability-oriented startup dedicated to addressing the increasing demand for sustainable energy solutions through an "agrivoltaics" approach, which involves integrating plants that thrive on specific wavelengths and can allow humanity to generate energy. This innovative approach optimizes land utilization by incorporating transparent panels, fostering a mutually beneficial relationship between crops and solar infrastructure. Solar Sprout is thus pioneering a new way to address both food insecurity and the energy crisis.

⧫ Focal point: Grant Goodrich, Executive Director, Great Lakes Energy Institute, Case Western Reserve University.

Mapping Australia’s Energy Transition (MARET)

Students at Monash University created this project to develop an interactive web-based tool illustrating their nation’s energy network transition. The tool's objective is to provide a chronological overview of Australia's energy generation and transmission network, allowing users to visualize the construction, decommissioning, and demolition of energy sources and transmission lines over time. By understanding past developments, the tool aims to facilitate the integration of new renewable technologies into the existing network, with the ultimate goal of increasing renewable energy's dominance in Australia's energy market.

⧫ Focal point: Roger Dargaville, Director, Monash Energy Institute, Monash University.

OG20W: Recommissioning Oil & Gas Platforms to Offshore Wind Energy

This proposal suggests repurposing offshore oil platforms into wind energy installations, enhancing integration through an interactive decision-making tool. The initiative promotes offshore wind for green hydrogen and ammonia production while also advocating for repurposing pipelines for environmental benefits. It integrates macroalgae cultivation on wind structures for ecological innovation, aiming to extend platform lifespans, reduce costs, and advance toward the SDGs.

⧫ Focal points: Sidnei Paciornik, Dean at the Science and Technology Center at PUC-Rio, and Edmar de Almeida, professor at the Energy Institute of PUC-Rio

Seeds for Thought: Empowering children through hydroponics

The core of this project, developed by students from Southampton University (UK), stems from the concept of hydroponics, a sustainable farming method that focuses on substituting soil for water that is mixed with nutrient-based solutions. Through this, students from Southampton University who developed Seeds for Thought aim to raise awareness of this method in K12 education while promoting STEM education and eco-friendly sustainable methods and to encourage younger generations to farm for several purposes to tackle several SDGs and serve as a catalyst to help local residences connect through learning and increased food accessibility.

⧫ Focal points: Simon Kemp, Director, Sustainability and Resilience Institute, and Alice Brock, Manager at SRI, University of Southampton.

We would like to express our gratitude to the members of the jury for their time and invaluable insights and suggestions provided to the teams. The esteemed judges for the 2024 edition were: Leong Yuen Yoong, Director of Sustainability Studies at SDSN Malaysia; Feng Chen Gang, Head of Lean & CIP and Head of Manufacture Technology at Siemens Transformer (China); Lyndsay Gehring, Program Associate for the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition, at SDSN; Ricardo Moraes, Field Engineering Management (USA), Siemens Energy; Rachel Collie, Manager FELD Program and Science Panel for the Congo Basin, at SDSN; Yvonne Cheng, Sustainability Business Partner for Government Affairs and Market Development in the APAC region at Siemens Energy (Singapore); Julianna Gil, Program Manager at SDSN; Henrique Paiva, Director of Government Affairs and ESG at Siemens Energy Latin America; John Barimo, Manager SDSN Ireland; and Clare Gilliam, Sustainability Lead at Siemens Energy (United Kingdom).

Looking ahead, from July to September 2024, the five finalist teams will focus on enhancing their projects with guidance from teaching staff and individual feedback sessions with mentors from Siemens Gamesa. This period will allow for refinement and improvement, ensuring that each project maximizes its potential impact on environmental sustainability. Following this, in September, during SDSN’s Pre-Summit of the Future, one of the five will be selected by an international jury and awarded USD 10,000 in prize money to allow them to start implementation, assisted and monitored by Siemens Gamesa. Stay tuned for the grand final!

More information about this competition can be found here.