The objective of the visit was to learn about recent advances in desalination and sustainable energy.
On April 30th, a group of PhD students from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), affiliated with the Renewable Energy Research Group, carried out a technical visit to the facilities of the Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias (ITC) in Pozo Izquierdo.
The students, currently on international research stays at ULPGC, participated in this activity to learn firsthand about ITC’s work in technological innovation for water and energy sustainability across the Canary Islands.
International PhD Students in the Group for the Research on Renewable Energy at ULPGC
The group of visiting students was composed of international doctoral students linked to the Renewable Energy Research Group of the School of Industrial and Civil Engineering (EIIC) of the ULPGC. The participants are currently undertaking research stays at the university as part of international academic exchange programs.
The students come from different institutions including the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy, home institution of Filippo Giorcelli and Ilaira Iacono, and the Instytut Maszyn Przepływowych PAN in Gdansk, Poland, home institution of the student Mateusz Brik. Also visiting were ULPGC students: PhD student Carlos Matos Sánchez, master’s student Laura Déniz Díaz, and undergraduate student Arturo Medina Darias.
Their research focuses on topics such as the integration of renewable energy into energy systems, energy storage, and the optimization of hybrid networks in insular environments. They are currently conducting their research stay at the Renewable Energy Department at ULPGC, where, under the supervision of Professor Pedro Cabrera Santana, a specialist in these areas, they are expanding their knowledge and expertise in key fields for sustainable energy development.
The visit to ITC was organized as a complementary activity to their doctoral training, providing them with exposure to real-world examples of technology transfer and applications of the water-energy nexus in a leading experimental setting.
Objectives and outcomes of the visit
The main objective of the visit was to become acquainted with the technological innovation and research infrastructure available on the island, particularly focusing on solutions developed within the water-energy nexus—an area of strategic relevance for insular territories such as the Canary Islands.
During the session, technicians from the Water Department of the ITC presented to the group different innovative projects being developed at the institution, highlighting the DESALRO 2.0 project, which focuses on designing a complete desalination plant with an optimized design adapted to industrial scale (2 x 5,000 m³/d), unique in the Canary Islands. The project also includes the construction of an experimental desalination plant at a 2,500 m³/d scale based on this design, to validate and obtain results at ITC’s Pozo Izquierdo facilities.
This experience provided the students with a comprehensive view of the role of applied research in the development of sustainable solutions in the Canary Islands. Beyond reinforcing their academic training, the visit enabled them to establish connections with the local research ecosystem and gain a deeper understanding of the real-world challenges faced by regions with limited water and energy resources.
Both ULPGC and ITC are part of the DESAL+ Living Lab platform and actively collaborate within the framework of the IDIWATER project.
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