written by Unai Villena Camarero
As part of the second edition of the SUNRISE Summer School, held in Belgrade from July 7th to 11th, 2025, Marene Larruskain, Pablo Eguia and Unai Villena, members of the Electric Power Systems Research Group (GISEL) from University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), had the opportunity to contribute to the training program by delivering a series of technical sessions on protection systems and their testing using real-time simulation tools.
Pablo Eguia engaging with participants in a group session.
Our participation was scheduled on the first two days of the school. We covered various protection-related topics, including overcurrent protection in distribution systems, the implementation and testing of relays using Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) techniques, and distance protection for transmission systems. Through theoretical insights and practical case studies, we demonstrated how real-time simulation platforms can support the validation and deployment of modern protection schemes in increasingly complex electrical networks.
From our perspective, participating in this training activity was highly enriching. The audience included 28 participants from 13 different countries, representing a wide array of universities and technical institutions. The diversity of backgrounds, levels of experience, and areas of expertise created a dynamic and stimulating environment, both inside and outside the classroom.
Beyond sharing knowledge, we also engaged in productive conversations with fellow researchers, engineers, and students in training.
Participants and instructors conversating during one of the social activities.
This international and interdisciplinary setting opened the door to potential future collaborations. Several attendees expressed interest in exploring research stays at UPV/EHU, and we were pleased to connect with individuals who could be strong candidates for upcoming positions or projects within our research group. Overall, we consider our involvement in the SUNRISE Summer School as a valuable professional and academic experience, and we look forward to future and continued collaboration within the SUNRISE community.