The San Calixto School, from Plasencia, won the regional final of the Entreredes Olympics on 17 May and will represent Extremadura in the national final which will take place on 6 June. 

In this regional final, which took place virtually, a total of 64 students competed from 4 schools in Plasencia (Cáceres), Campanario, La Zarza, and Ribera del Fresno (Badajoz). In the preliminary phases of this year's event, 1,841 students from 11 schools took part.

The team from San Calixto prevailed as the outright winner of all four categories, from the 1st to 4th year of secondary school.

The competition for secondary school students involved teams playing a video game called Entreredes, created by Red Eléctrica (Redeia subsidiary responsible for the transmission and operation of electricity systems in Spain). The aim of this game is to teach younger generations how the Spanish electricity system works and to review their school knowledge in a fun and interactive way.

During the competition, the students virtually travel around the country via different lines and substations of the electricity transmission grid, and win points based on questions posed to them.

The winners of the regional finals secure a place at the national final, where they will have to demonstrate who has the best grasp of the knowledge conveyed in class, on subjects such as Geography and History, Physics and Chemistry/Biology, Mathematics, Language and Literature, Culture and Leisure, and, in particular, lessons learnt about energy, the ecological transition, and the Spanish electricity system.

Schools from La Extremadura have been taking part since 2021, and numbers of students taking part have only increased over the last few years. Across the country, nearly 54,000 secondary school students from eleven autonomous communities and the autonomous city of Ceuta played the game and took part in the Olympics.

A game to help young people understand the energy transmission grid and much more

In Entreredes, the students virtually travel around the country via different lines and substations of the electricity transmission grid. In order to progress, they have to answer questions posed about the electricity system and subjects covered in class: Geography and history, physics and chemistry/biology, mathematics, language and literature, and culture and leisure.

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

The game, which is completely free, is designed as a tool to support teachers in their lessons, as a resource for students to review information at home, and as a fun activity to share with family and friends. It has three different play modes which adapt to suit educational needs at all times: Classroom, Challenge, and Classic, and it is available for both desktops (Windows, MacOS, and Linux) and mobile devices (Android and iOS) via this link.