The Energy Hackathon is the first hackathon organized as part of the APIC-NSERC Alliance project titled ‘Towards Future Interconnected Electric Systems’. The main themes of this hackathon are listed below, although participants are free to work on any challenges that they are interested in.
- Theme 1 System Modeling and Artificial Intelligence for Power Systems
- Theme 2 Advanced Power Electronics for the Smart Grid
- Theme 3 Grid Integration of Renewable and Distributed Energy
- Theme 4 Safety and Security for the Smart Grid
We encourage students from all faculties and all levels to participate in this hackathon. Participants do not need to know programming or be part of the Electrical and Computer engineering department to participate as we will have a wide variety of challenges available. Participants will also be encouraged to brainstorm their own ideas and form teams on day 1.
This event is also supported by AI4Society, ISAIC, Future Energy Systems, and the Energy Systems Signature Area.
Schedule
This Hackathon will take place over the weekend June 25-27, a tentative schedule is available below
Day 1, June 25, 2021
The first day of the Hackathon will be for participants to get familiar with each other and the tools they can use. Ideas will be brainstormed and participants will be asked to vote for the challenges they like.
| Time | Activities and Speakers |
|---|---|
| 5:00 – 5:30 pm | Opening Remarks and Introduction |
| 5:30 – 6:15 pm | Workshop on Jupyter Notebook: Local and Cloud solution setup By Omid Hajihassani, ISAIC |
| 6:15 – 6:30 pm | Break |
| 6:30 – 7:15 pm | Workshop on Tableau: How to create an interactive dashboard in 45 min By Ildar Akhmetov |
| 7:15 – 9:30 pm | Brainstorming ideas and teaming up (Mural) |
Day 2, June 26, 2021
Day 2 begins with final team formations, after which teams are free to work independently on their assigned problem. Moderators will be hosting Drop-in Q&A sessions if participants have questions.
| Time | Activities and Speakers |
|---|---|
| 8:30 – 9:00 am | Final team formation, problem-solving begins |
| 9:00 – 11:00 am | Drop-in Q&A sessions |
| 1:00 – 3:00 pm | Drop-in Q&A sessions |
| 3:00 – midnight | Problem-solving continues overnight |
Day 3, June 27, 2021
Teams continue working independently until noon on day 3. Draft presentations are due at noon and a submission link will be shared with teams. Finally, teams will present to an audience of judges and other teams. Winners will be announced at the end.
| Time | Activities and Speakers |
|---|---|
| 8:30 – noon | Problem-solving continues, projects due at noon |
| Noon – 1:00 pm | Break, Project submission |
| 1:00 – 3:00 pm | Team presentations |
| 3:30 – 4:00 pm | Results and Closing remarks |
Frequent Asked Questions
Who can participate in this Energy Hackathon?
Any students (undergraduate and graduate) at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary who are interested in energy systems can participate.
How will this Energy Hackathon work?
At the end of day 1, participants will vote for ideas that they are interested in using Mural (we will explain how this works during the ‘Brainstorming ideas and teaming up’’ session on day 1). Throughout day 2 and until noon of day 3, teams will work on their own to solve the problem/challenge of their choice and build a presentation. Between 1-3 pm on day 3, teams will be called on to present their challenge.
Do I already need a team to sign up for the Hackathon?
No, teams will be formed on day 1 based on topics of interest.
How many people can be in a team?
Teams can have 2-4 members.
What platforms will be used for hosting the Energy Hackathon?
The energy hackathon will be hosted on Zoom and gather.town. Mural will also be used as a space for brainstorming. All links will be shared with registrants a few days before the event.
Where can I sign up?
Please, register by filling up this form.
Is registration free?
Yes, there are no registration costs.
Do participants need to know programming?
No, participants do not need to know programming. There will be many types of challenges available that do not require programming. And workshops will be provided on day 1 for those who wish to learn some programming.
Do I have to be in Electrical and Computer Engineering to participate in this hackathon?
No, this event is open to all students.
Who are the organizers?
The Energy Hackathon is organized as part of the APIC-NSERC Alliance project titled ‘Towards Future Interconnected Electric Systems’ led by Professor Petr Musilek from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The event is funded by NSERC and APIC organizations (AESO, ATCO, Altalink, ENMAX, EPCOR, and FortisAlberta). AI4Society, ISAIC, Future Energy Systems and the Energy Systems Signature Area are also supporting and helping organize this event.
What are the prizes?
There will be gift cards for the top 3 winning teams and some additional special prizes.
How will the ideas/presentations be judged?
Judges will be picked from the University of Alberta/Calgary faculty and from the APIC company representatives. Judges will mark each idea and presentation according to set guidelines, the guidelines will be shared with all participants before the event.