Colegio San Calixto, from Plasencia (Cáceres), and IES Valdemendel, from Ribera del Fresno (Badajoz), have won today the regional final of the entreREDes Olympics and will represent Extremadura in the national finals, which will be held in the first fortnight of June. In this competition, secondary school students from all over the country will have to compete with each other to demonstrate which students have best learnt the subjects taught during the school year (Geography, Physics, Mathematics, Literature...) and especially what they have learnt in the fields of energy, the ecological transition and the Spanish electricity system.

The regional final, held at the Centro de Profesores de Cáceres (CPR), featured 32 students who had previously won the provincial round and now competed for a place in the national final. The participants represented Colegio San Calixto (Plasencia), IES San Pedro de Alcántara (Alcántara), IES Bartolomé José Gallardo (Campanario), IESO Valdemendel (Ribera del Fresno) and IES Tierrablanca (La Zarza).

The competition involved teams playing entreREDes, the video game created by Red Eléctrica (the company responsible for the electricity system transmission and operation in Spain) to teach the younger generations in a fun and interactive environment how the Spanish electricity system works and to review the contents taught in the classroom.

Colegio San Calixto was a three-time winner in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ESO categories, while IESO Valdemendel won the 4th ESO category. Students and teachers from the schools received their awards from Juan Pablo Venero, General Manager of Innovation and Educational Inclusion of the Department of Education and Employment of the Regional Government of Extremadura, and Jorge Juan Jiménez, Redeia's delegate in the autonomous community of Extremadura.

Extremadura has participated in the entreREDes Olympics for the second running year, bringing together almost 2,000 students from 10 schools who have played with this educational tool over the course of the academic year. Nationwide, more than 40,000 ESO students from ten autonomous communities have made use of the game and participated in the Olympics.

A game to understand the energy transmission grid and so much more

EntreREDes players virtually travel around the country through different lines and substations of the electricity transmission grid. In order to make progress, they have to answer questions about the electricity industry and the subjects covered in class: Geography and History, Physics and Chemistry/Biology, Mathematics, Language and Literature, and Leisure and Culture.

Among other topics, they learn about renewable energies and their contribution to the generation mix, the interconnections with other countries, the existence of a cable for electricity interconnection with the Balearic Islands and the implications of the fact that the Canary Islands' electricity system is isolated.

The game, which is absolutely free, is designed as a tool to support teachers in their classrooms, as a revision tool for students at home and as a fun tool to be shared with family and friends. The game includes three different game modes to suit the educational demands required at any time: Classroom, Challenge and Classic, and is available for both desktops (Windows, MacOS and Linux) and mobile devices (Android and iOS).