The German-Slovakian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Slovakia) invited to the final event of the first Energy Scouts trainings on January 26th 2021. 33 Energy Scouts presented 15 energy efficiency projects in teams to the expert jury. The jury, consisting of experts from the Technical University in Bratislava, the Association of Waterworks, the Institute of Circular Economy INCIEN and the Slovakian Ministry of Environment, awarded the best projects. “They are all winners today, because every single project contributes to climate protection.” With these words, Peter Kompalla, Managing Director of AHK Slovakia, welcomed the Energy Scouts shortly before their project pitches.
The competition was won by the Energy Scout Team Katarína Čišecká, Martina Kušniarová, Ľubomír Lehocký from Volkswagen Slovakia a.s. with their project, aiming to reduce waste and volatile organic substances in dyeing and painting processes. This measure is intended to reduce the impact of pollutants on the environment in the long term and at the same time reduce operating costs in the production process.
With their concept for reducing process wastewater in a waste treatment plant, Energy Scouts Adam Kabát and Marek Palenčár from Robert Bosch Slovakia s.r.o won second place in the selection process. The project reduces wastewater by using a mobile filter system to filter out solid impurities in the washing process so that the water can be reused.
Zuzana Nagyová and Martin Girgoškovon KraussMaffei Technologies s.r.o. were delighted with third place. They designed a compressed air project in which they dealt with the repair of microleaks, the design and optimisation of performance parameters for compressors, the recovery of waste heat from compressors and energy management in the field of compressed air.
Feedback from ministries and companies on the Energy Scout trainings
Peter Vitoslavsky, Human Resources Manager of Robert Bosch Slovakia commented on the training programme after the award ceremony: “I consider this programme to be one of the most meaningful I have come across in recent years. It is a great added value for Bosch in particular because it combines environmental issues and employee development. CO2 neutrality and sustainable development are values, which Bosch builds upon. I particularly appreciate that your programme has brought together people from different companies who have worked together on these issues and can share their experiences in the future.”
Michael Reuss, Permanent Representative of the German Ambassador to Slovakia, also highlighted the commitment of all participating Energy Scouts: “You are all an important part of the global effort and will contribute with your projects to initiate the green transformation.”
Alena Žáková, Director of International Relations in the Energy Sector at the Slovak Ministry of Economy, pointed to the opportune timing of the project against the backdrop of ambitious climate targets, in which the energy sector plays a key role. She welcomed the wide range of measures planned in the projects and advised the Energy Scouts: “Perhaps the most difficult task will be to convince management to turn as many of the identified measures as possible into concrete investment projects.”
More information on the qualification programme and the new registration dates for 2022
The Energy Scout training is aimed at young employees from various business sectors and will be offered by AHK Slovakia again in 2022 free of charge thanks to funding from the European Climate Initiative (EUKI), a funding instrument of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMU). The workshop programme focuses on the topics of energy efficiency, resource efficiency and operational mobility. Both industrial companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can participate.
The new training courses will start in May 2022. Interested companies in Slovakia can contact the contact persons at the AHK Slovakia, Katarína Pauerová and Eva Holubek.
