Students Tatiana Sofia da Costa São Pedro and Eliana Branco Proença, from the Barreiro School of Technology, participated in the most recent edition of the AccelerateNextGen program, organized by Siemens Portugal, accompanied by professor Cláudia Coelho.

AccelerateNextGen is an innovation and training program aimed at college students, which seeks to expose participants to today’s technological and business challenges. Throughout the initiative, students work in teams to develop solutions to real-world problems, strengthening their technical skills, creativity, collaborative work, communication, and exposure to the business world.

The ESTBarreiro team, named AuTWOmation, competed in the Sustainable Automation category with the project “Edge Driven Energy Efficiency for Datacenters, ” placing 6th in the final standings among teams from various institutions of higher education.

The project presented an innovative automation and energy management solution for data centers, designed to support compliance with the ISO 50001 standard. The proposal is based on an edge computing architecture that integrates operational technology (OT)—using Siemens controllers—and information technology (IT)—using the Node-RED platform.

Among the features developed, one that stands out is the implementation of an intelligent thermodynamic control system based on water-side free cooling with dynamic hysteresis, capable of significantly reducing energy consumption associated with cooling. The solution also allows for the real-time calculation of performance metrics such as PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness), WUE (Water Usage Effectiveness), and COP (Coefficient of Performance).

The system also incorporates mechanisms to ensure data integrity for audits through the use of SHA-256 cryptographic hashes, ensuring a reliable, immutable, and tamper-resistant record.

Although they fell just short of the Top 5, the participants describe the experience as extremely enriching, both from a technical and a personal standpoint. The dedication and energy invested throughout the program resulted in a strong sense of accomplishment and pride in the project.

For the students, the progress they made throughout the program was their greatest achievement, allowing them to acquire new knowledge, develop skills, and gain a more realistic perspective on the professional world.

Participating in AccelerateNextGen also provided an excellent opportunity for knowledge sharing and networking, fostering connections with other students, professionals, and experts from various fields.

ESTBarreiro congratulates students Tatiana Sofia da Costa São Pedro and Eliana Branco Proença on their excellent performance, as well as Professor Cláudia Coelho for her guidance and support throughout this initiative.

The School would also like to thank Siemens Portugal for sponsoring this program, which helps students develop essential skills and exposes them to the challenges of innovation and technological transformation.