Since I was a child, I have always wondered how and where do we get electric power? With this curiosity, I decided to go electric and now I am part of the Smart Grid revolution. The world is becoming smarter, so gaining work experience as an intern during your studies will boost your employability and …
Project Management in the Covid-19 Era
Do you remember good times, when the present and future were much clearer? Project management was well defined and divided into stages: Figure 1 – Project Management phases Based on the above we could plan our time – working at the office, meetings on remote travels, meetings in client’s office, site assignments, etc. Everything focused …
Team Spirit online: Working remotely
“Hi, how are you? I just wanted to ask if you are well and see how you are managing home office life!?”, is currently a standard opening line in phone calls with colleagues. After all, most of them are working from home because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Adjusting to these special circumstances requires flexibility, structure …
A worthy Journey for Smart Grids
Are Smart Grids a “smart” solution to solve Bangladesh’s energy demand surge? That’s the question power systems engineer, Luca Pizzimbone, is answering in a first-of-its-kind feasibility study financed by the German Development Bank. In this post, Luca shares about his Bangladeshi experience in Khulna – far from our headquarters in Bad Vilbel. Read more about the …
Getting the Master Plan Right… the second time around
Can Lahmeyer produce a master plan to connect electricity grids across seven Central African countries? The answer is definitely “yes”! I shared about how we got started in this previous post. But there’s lots more to the story. Discover it below. A master challenge Let me begin with a reminder about the details of this …
Ensuring Power Generation in Mozambique
When I joined Tractebel Engineering in 2016, I was looking forward to the new challenges on an international level that the company could offer me after years of professional experience in my country of origin (Brazil). I was positively surprised that one of my first projects in the company would lead me to a place …
Engineering for Climate Change in the City of Lights
What is more enriching than holiday? A professional stay abroad! Tractebel’s Young Professionals Programme (YPP) really does open an incredible world of opportunity for engineers like me: fresh out of university and ready to put my talent to work. One week after my return from Uganda on a major hydroelectric project I blogged about earlier, …
A World of Opportunity for young Engineers
As a Colombian studying water resources and engineering management at the University of Stuttgart, I was thrilled to learn about Tractebel’s Young Professionals Programme (YPP). It seemed perfectly designed for someone like me transitioning from university to working life. The mentorship I would receive from world-class engineers and the opportunities to work on projects abroad …
Are Smart Grids “smart” for Bangladesh?
Are Smart Grids “smart” for Bangladesh? Bangladesh is both an inspiring example of human development and a daunting challenge for engineers. Its extraordinary progress in reducing poverty has fuelled a surge in demand for energy. But without the necessary infrastructure, access to reliable and affordable power remains a major barrier to Bangladesh’s ambition. Are Smart …
Is Hydrogen the solution?
‘Hydrogen is the renewable energy of the future’, one of my colleagues likes to say. I agree. It has incredible potential to overcome the many challenges that countries like Germany with a growing share of variable renewable energy are experiencing. Let me give you my impression on the future role of hydrogen. Unlocking the potential of …
Global Journey towards Equality
I am from Colombia, a place where any special date will be taken as an opportunity to meet and celebrate. Since my childhood, there was a family meeting to celebrate the annual Women’s Day, usually at my grandma’s house. My dad would prepare everything for a good Colombian BBQ: first the music and then the …
What does Digitalisation really do for Hydropower? Questioning in a Pandemic
There is a popular meme going around that neatly captures the tipping point of digital. It asks who is leading your digital transformation. The first two options are CEO and CTO, chief digital officer. Below that, highlighted with a bright red circle, is COVID-19. How would we answer this question at Tractebel? There’s no question that …
Wind blowing towards hydrogen
How are we going to deliver the zero-carbon energy transition that our world needs? Green hydrogen and offshore wind energy will be key elements. At Tractebel, we are engineering solutions that combine offshore wind farms with hydrogen technology – delivering a major breakthrough to fuel your zero-carbon transition. Blowing towards a hybrid Tractebel is known …
Want to work smarter on projects? Try BIM
Want to work smarter on projects? Try BIM At Tractebel, all our energy projects are complex, containing and generating a huge amount of data. It is a major challenge to keep teams and stakeholders up to date with the latest information. Timely evaluation of information to improve project decision-making and results is crucial. BIM is …
Neighbours become partners – Creating an Energy Masterplan for Central Africa
Have you ever developed a masterplan for the electricity generation and transmission system for an entire continental region? For seven countries with a total area of 4,000 km x 2,500 km? I can now say, “Yes”. But when I started, I had no idea what to expect or the challenges involved. I’m not new to …