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Success stories 14 September 2020

Building on the long-lasting success of its members: a JP Hydropower-sponsored Summer School

Thanks to the expertise and efforts of its members, the JP Hydropower is creating new ways of sharing knowledge on hydropower research and innovation

The ISE Summer School

The Summer School hosted by the Iceland School of Energy (ISE) of the Reykjavík University is a three week, intensive course that provides students with an overview of sustainable technologies, the main issues that drive the demand for sustainable energy, and the factors that may impede or promote meeting that demand. The course is delivered through a combination of lectures and site visits, and students have opportunity to see working systems that utilise sustainable energy. As part of the activities of the Summer School, a visit of an hydropower plant is included and courses on the main features of hydropower in Iceland are held. 

The success of the Summer School over the past years has also contributed to the initiatives of the the Alpen-Adria University in Klagenfurt, which hosted most recently in 2019 the International Research Workshop on Hydropower. This workshop gathered researchers from Austria, Iceland and Switerland and over the course of a 2-day event challenged the participants to discuss the most recents developments in hydropower research and innovation. 

During the COVID-19 crisis, the EERA JP Hydropower universities were no less affected by its impact on research exchanges and mobility. However, the ISE Summer School was not interrupted by the pandemic, with courses shifting to online platforms. As a result, the students followed online classes and performed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) exercises in place of the excursion normally held during the Summer School. 

Considered the success of the Summer School, the EERA JP Hydropower has decided to continue building on the expertise of its members. To this end, the Reykjavík University and the Alpen-Adria University will host in 2021 their first jointly-organised Summer School on hydropower, realised in the context and with the support of the EERA JP Hydropower. This partnership will create a new powerful tool for the JP and its researchers to share knowledge and continue the developments in the field.