PRECOP and Energy Days with the participation of the Silesian University of Technology
From September 30th to October 1st, the International Congress Centre in Katowice hosted two important events devoted to climate policy and the economy in the period of energy transformation - Business PRECOP and Energy Days. The Silesian University of Technology actively participated in the events. Expert meetings were held at our stand, and scientists from the Silesian University of Technology participated in the debates.
Business PRECOP is one of the largest conferences on climate and environmental transformation in Central Europe, preparing participants for the upcoming global UN negotiations, in particular the COP31 Climate Change Conference (UN Climate Change Conference), which will take place on November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Turkey.
The Silesian University of Technology could not miss being present at PRECOP. Our University's stand hosted meetings with experts who presented the scientific and research potential of, among others, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, the Faculty of Civil Engineering, the Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, and the Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering, and Industrial Automation.
During PRECOP, expert debates were also held with the participation of representatives of our University.
Among other topics, the discussions included how architecture responds to climate crises. The floor in the debate was taken by Dr Hab. Eng. Arch. Tomasz Bradecki, Prof. SUT – Dean of the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology.
PRECOP debates focused on the biggest economic and climate challenges. It was similar during Energy Days, an event that simultaneously took place at the Katowice International Congress Centre (MCK).
The program included debates on topics such as the energy market after the end of price freeze mechanisms, the future of heating, financing the transformation, wind energy, hydrogen, SMRs (Small Modular Reactors), energy storage, cybersecurity, the use of AI in the energy sector, and the impact of data centre development on energy demand. All these topics are familiar to the experts of the Silesian University of Technology.
The discussion on human resources for the energy sector was attended by Dr Hab. Eng. Łukasz Bartela, Prof. SUT from the Department of Power Engineering and Turbomachinery at the Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, who pointed out that educating specialists for this industry is difficult because it is not yet known what the basis of the energy mix will be. On the other hand, in order to think about a strong economy and energy sector, we need to educate good engineers.
- We will give them a strong foundation at universities. These well-educated engineers will later be placed under the care of companies that will provide for them specializations for their further operations. Fields of study include broadly understood thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, electrical engineering, and electronics. The Silesian University of Technology operates in all these areas, regardless of what the final directions of development of the Polish energy sector will be, - said Prof. Bartela. He also noted that young people are aware that they will have to demonstrate flexibility in the labour market and constantly update their knowledge.
This was not the only voice of the Silesian University of Technology during Energy Days. In another panel, Dr. Hab. Eng. Albert Smalcerz, Vice-Dean for Science and Cooperation at the Faculty of Materials Engineering and Industrial Digitalization and the Head of the Department of Industrial Informatics spoke about new challenges for the energy sector related to, among others, the use of artificial intelligence.
During the events, the important role of science and scientists from the region in the transformation process was emphasized, which particularly concerns the Silesian Voivodeship. By participating in the events, the Silesian University of Technology emphasized that it wants to actively participate in this process.
Nie był to jedyny głos Politechniki Śląskiej podczas Energy Days. O nowych wyzwaniach dla energetyki związanych m.in. z wykorzystaniem sztucznej inteligencji w innym panelu mówił z kolei dr hab. inż. Albert Smalcerz prodziekan ds. nauki i współpracy na Wydziale Inżynierii Materiałowej i Cyfryzacji Przemysłu, kierownik Katedry Informatyki.
Podczas wydarzeń podkreślano ważną rolę nauki i naukowców z regionu w procesie transformacji, która w sposób szczególny dotyczy województwa śląskiego. Politechnika Śląska swoim uczestnictwem w wydarzeniach podkreśliła, że aktywnie chce brać udział w tym procesie.
fot. materiały prasowe PRECOP
