The students of the Dr. Nassaucollege come up with the idea for a neighborhood battery. Local residents with a surplus of energy, for example from solar panels, can then supply energy to that battery. People who have less to spend can then buy that energy from their neighbors for a soft price. The team members did not expect the win. Although, they aren’t completely surprised either. “I kind of expected it, because it’s an idea that you don’t hear often. So on the one hand yes, on the other hand not,” says one of the boys. He calls the profit ‘special’.
Pupils from CSG Dingstede from Meppel therefore have the best pitch, and that is because they have made a model to reinforce their story. They did that as a result of a tip. “We had heard from another teacher that if we gave something, the jury would listen better to us. That was also a big part of our profit, I think”, one of the students explains.
They too, like the team that went on to win the top prize, did not see their win coming. “We thought that other people were better. But it’s nice to see that you were really good,” says one of the students.
Jury member Adri Wischmann certainly enjoyed the morning. “Of course it is always nice to see how every school, every group, every team presents its ideas. And there is a lot of difference. Some are a bit shy and are there for the first time, others are there with a lot of a lot of bravado. But it’s really nice to see how they all put their time and energy into it.”
He also emphasizes that the students have to have quite a bit of talent to win. “Because you can have very nice ideas, but if you can’t convey that well, you don’t win. There are many aspects to it, presenting, the idea itself, involving the team, and only when you have all that right done, you win the prize.”
Students who feel inspired can indulge themselves. Another challenge will be organized next year. Then it will probably be about nutrition, according to Wischmann. “Food concerns everyone, whether it’s about food waste, or generating food for people who have less money, or whatever.”