March 2025, Chubut – On Friday, March 14, 2025, the inauguration of a 900W hybrid wind-solar system for demonstration and educational use in schools in the province of Neuquén took place at the Provincial Technical Education School No. 15 (EPET 15) in Zapala, Neuquén.

The Minister of Education, María Soledad Martínez, and the coordinating team of the "Energía Joven" project, Willington Ortiz of the Wuppertal Institute in Germany, Pablo Aldrovandi of the Siemens Foundation, and Esteban Van Dam of the 500RPM Foundation, participated, along with the principals of the schools.

This renewable energy system, in addition to providing electricity to part of the building, has the main objective of serving as a demonstration and educational center for technical schools in the province of Neuquén. Its location in the city of Zapala aims to federalize access to this educational resource, allowing it to be accessible to a greater number of teachers and students from secondary schools in the province.

The construction and installation of this hybrid system began at the end of 2024 and involved the Provincial School of Technical Education 11 (EPET 11) and the Provincial School of Technical Education 15 (EPET 15) in Zapala. Teachers and students from both institutions, leaders in technical training in Zapala and the region, worked together to manufacture and install the hybrid system.

#EnergíaJoven is an initiative to empower young Argentinians to lead the transition toward a more equitable and sustainable energy system. This project, which will run from 2024 to 2027, is being implemented by the Wuppertal Institute in Germany, the 500RPM Foundation, and the Siemens Foundation in Argentina. The project has financial support from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). The project's main objective is to support 24 technical secondary schools in the provinces of Chubut, Neuquén, and Mendoza, prioritizing teacher training on topics related to climate change, energy transition, and renewable energy; the delivery of teaching kits that will allow for experimental classroom activities; and the installation of hybrid renewable energy systems (wind and solar, one per province) for demonstration and educational purposes. These systems will allow students to develop educational practices. Willington Ortiz, general coordinator of the project and part of the Wuppertal Institute in Germany: “Promoting the vocational development of youth in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector is a key investment in building a clean energy system and, more generally, a sustainable economic system. I believe that the methods and tools we are developing and validating jointly with the Ministry in Neuquén offer very effective solutions for building that path.”

Luciana Proietti, president and co-founder of the 500 RPM Foundation: “This is an important milestone for the project because it allows us to bring technology closer to students and future leaders in the renewable energy sector. It is a concrete way to contribute to the energy transition in the province and the country.”

Pablo Aldrovandi, director of the Siemens Foundation, stated: “Public-private partnerships are essential to support a true educational transformation, ensuring, through this type of project, a more effective introduction of new technologies and a better understanding of the world of work for students.”

The #EnergíaJoven program aims to impact 24 technical schools in three provinces with special support for three years. It will involve the delivery of more than 100 educational kits for scientific experiments, three real renewable energy installations for practical training, and interprovincial forums for debate on potential public policies on just energy transition and climate change, from a youth perspective and promoting technical training in the country.

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