LDV INTERNSHIP CASE STUDY (Jan 2012). Company name: Isotrol
By Upendra Deshpande

I worked as a junior consultant in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) company called Isotorl, which develops SCADA systems for renewable energy companies. Although it’s a IT company, my role as a consultant was very important as it includes market research for the company, technical analysis and green certificate studies for EU. Where I got a chance to learn new developments happening in renewable energy sector. Apart from IT department, Isotrol got separate consultancy department, where they provide technical support for power plant monitoring system installation. Company is based in Cartuja district, around 30 minutes of walking or 12 minutes of bike ride from Macarena, where I was living. Company is placed right at the heart of business park in Cartuja district, which got modern architecture. Apart from being modern business area. They got nice places to eat and seat around during Siesta time. University campus is very near by from Isotrol, they do have canteen which is one of the cheapest places I found, when you are running low on budget. Work place also got, basic cooking facilities at basement, if are not so knee to eat outside everyday.

During my typical working day I use to to do technical research and market analysis of renewable energy companies in EU and south America. Which was required for business expansion of the company not just in Spain but also internationally. I always use to try to develop new contacts in the industry by explaining them, about Isotrol and their product, through mail or telephonic conversation. Which helped me to improve my marketing skills. Although much of the staff don’t know good English, they are very friendly and try to communicate with you all the time. I didn’t got chance to do some extracurricular activities with colleagues, but we use to have breakfast every morning, where I use to meet other staff members, and try to learn some Spanish from them.

As a work place, Isotrol is very company, they got good work culture. Only challenging part, I found was the language barrier, as most of the staff don’t speak in English normally. Most of the work I was doing was in English, so that din’t bothered me much. But in a way it was helped me try out my linguistic skills, even if they were mediocre. Overall it was a nice experience, I learned many thing such as working in business environment, marketing, knowledge about renewable energy sector, new technologies used in energy sector etc. At the end of this case study, I really want to suggest few things for new interns. Please don’t try to save money all the time, as you are here to learn and enjoy.Try to travel around Andalusia, it is beautiful place . Try to avoid making conversation in English, even if you manage to say few words in Spanish , people appreciate the effort and will always help you out. The bike hire scheme is very good, if you want apply early as it takes at least 8 to 10 days to get hold of your Sevic card.

Sinan Karsu

Summary of job

The main focus of my job is on the feasibility of mini-cogeneration plants. Looking at various options for cogeneration and the related economical parameters, our aim is to identify the optimum solution for potential customers and to provide them with a clear figure on the return of investment.

To get familiar with the business area, I have looked into existing installations during the first two weeks of work. Extensive internet research provided knowledge on suppliers, manufacturers and most importantly potential customers and the sectors in which they operate in.

As the law regarding feed-in-tariffs for cogeneration plants has recently changed, we are shifting our attention on self-consumption of electricity and the extent of savings that could be achieved through it. In accordance with this, I am examining comprehensive spreadsheets which have evolved through the past and doing my best to contribute in their modification for the new conditions.

Our aim is that I will be able to carry out a feasibility study for a small scale micro-CHP project at the end of the internship.

OnTech Engineering is a subsidiary of Isotrol. Its main business area is planning, consulting, support, financing and maintenance of mini-cogeneration plants.

Supplying useful heat together with electrical power, mini-CHP systems reach combined efficiencies in the order of 90%. Therefore, they are considered as a more sustainable alternative to conventional electricity generating systems.

The systems supplied by OnTech Engineering have powers ranging from 50kWel to 2145kWel. They contain biogas and natural gas engines from reputable German manufacturers such as MAN and Liebherr.

The company is new to the market but benefits from Isotrol’s wide experience in engineering, control systems, energy consulting services and infrastructure technology.

The OnTech Engineering office is located inside Isotrol’s facilities and I am working in a large, open-plan office together with other Isotrol engineers. The office is at the 4th floor of the BLUENET Building which is on the Isaac Newton Street inside the Scientific and Technological Park of the Isla Cartuja.

I used to walk to work. This would normally take between twenty to thirty minutes from the flats.

On the second week of work I tried the Sevici bicycle scheme (short term subscription: 10€/week). I was very satisfied by the experience and thus applied for the long term subscription (25€/year) about 10 days ago. The card arrived today, and from now on I will be cycling to work! That takes only around 15 minutes.

Unlike breakfast, we go for lunch solely as a group of interns. It is usually baguettes from the nearby faculty canteen or a hot meal from the Cafeteria Italia right across BLUENET.

My boss, Fernando, is quite busy, but he always takes time to explain the work to me. He speaks English very well but also encourages me to practice Spanish at every chance. Every now and then he speaks a simple, clear and slow Spanish instead of English, so that I can understand. It is really nice to be working with him.

I have a second line manager, Herr Vagt, who is in Germany most of the time. We speak German with him, which is also a good experience for me as I have not spoken German in an engineering work environment before. Both of my managers are always very motivating.

Everyone at the office is friendly and helpful.

The young engineers with whom we go to breakfast everyday are interested in hearing about our experiences in Seville. They give tips on what to do and where to visit. Although I can only understand around 10% of what they are talking about amongst themselves at breakfast, I believe that it is still a great way to practice.

No.  But one colleague said he wants to show us around and do a micro-intercambio with us on a weekend.

The first two weeks I needed to find out about projects similar to the ones planned by the company and list the related parties. All the information was in Spanish; but, thanks to online dictionaries and repetitive phrases in court decisions I could successfully complete the task and gain some vocabulary.

I currently need MS Excel to be able to carry out the task that I was given. Sending tickets to the IT department has not provided any solutions yet.

More Spanish. Some new spreadsheet functions. International workplace communication.

Subscribe to Sevici bike scheme (long-term) even before you arrive so that you can fully enjoy the bicycle lanes, the wind-on-face while crossing the river and the 15 more minutes of sleep.

Get Tostadas with Jamon York and not with Jamon from the faculty canteen. Enjoy the Jamon (or perhaps a Francesa) on Fridays at Cafe Abuela.

Use Google Translate in the “Show Original” mode, so that you get used to Spanish and only lookup the necessary parts by pointing the mouse at them.

It is an internship, do not expect to be given very specific tasks relating to your studies; but feel happy when/if this happens!

Marcos Ramirez

Lebrija, Spain

Summary of your job

I am working as a Mechanical Engineer Intern at Gienal S.L Renewable Energy Company

Company information

Gienal S.L is a company which offers installation, maintenance and development of Heating, Air Conditioning, ACS, floor heating, water heating for swimming pouls using Renewable Energy (Sular Thermal, Sular Photovultaic, and Biomass). It is based in Lebrija, Spain.

Where is your work, how did you get there, how long did it take?

P.I Z-11 Las Marismas C/ Águilas 27 (41740) Lebrija; Spain. It takes around 10 minutes working from my house to the picking up point at the (Parque de los Bomberos) from there is about 5 minutes driving,

A typical day in the life of you at work

On our Daily Basis work we are supporting the technical-commercial department at Gienal S.L, handling with customer, searching for new technulogy as well as developing technical-demand report for new projects. Also at Gienal S.L we help to update the information system (Cullection of new Data).

What do you do for lunch?

Gienal works from 8 am to 4 pm, during lunch time I usually have a coffee with a snack at the cafeteria near to Las Marismas.

What are your relationships with your boss and colleagues?

The people that work for Gienal (Managers and Employees) are really kind and willing to help at any time.

Do you do anything after work with your colleagues? 

After we finish work around 330 in the afternoon every day, we usually go to the town centre to grab a coffee and during the weekend we enjoy the Lebrija nights out or we travelling around Andalucía.

What challenges did you face e.g. language, technical language? How did you overcome them? Did you encounter any problems and what solution did you find to solve them? 

Some Problems regarding to the work itself; kind of new technulogy for me (Renewable energy). However, with the help of Gienal S.L personal it was easy to overtake those problems.

What new skills have you gained?

Installation, maintenance and development of Heating, Air Conditioning, ACS, floor heating, water heating for swimming pouls using Renewable Energy (Sular Thermal, Sular Photovultaic, and Biomass. Also to properly learnt how to develop and create a technical-commercial report taking into account all the customer requirements.

Do you have any recommendations or tips for new interns? 

Enjoy as much as possible.

Fifty new areas are each being allocated £1m funding today, bringing the number of communities who are so far benefiting from the Lottery’s Big Local scheme to 100. A further 50 communities will be awarded funding through the scheme by the end of 2012. Each of these areas will receive at least £1m to spend over 10 years – along with support, training, and networking opportunities – to make their areas better places to live.

Renaisi is one of the founding partners of the CDF led consortium that was selected by the Big Lottery Fund to manage the £200m funded Big Local scheme and to help set up the new charitable organisation Local Trust.

Renaisi’s role is to recruit and manage the national pool of Big Local representatives who will provide ‘light touch’ support and advice to local areas throughout the programme.  This includes helping local people and organisations to work together to identify local issues and take action to realise lasting change. We will be shortly recruiting to the pool of Big Local representatives and will be looking for individuals who have experience of and are motivated by helping local communities to work together to improve their areas.

Clive Tritton, Chief Executive, Renaisi said: “Big Local is a fantastic opportunity for residents to take control of improving the places where they live. The launch of the next 50 areas is an important milestone for Big Local and we look forward to working with those areas to make the most of this exciting opportunity. We are also delighted to be a founding partner of Local Trust, which will make a huge contribution to the urgent task of improving overlooked neighbourhoods in England.”

Big Local is particularly groundbreaking because it is much more than a typical grants programme. Firstly local residents are genuinely at the forefront of the process – not just in terms of deciding what the priorities are for their area or how money will be invested but also in encouraging social action to solve local problems.

Secondly funding includes a mix of grants, social investment and loans, which means that money will be reinvested and recycled in the area for the benefit of local people over the long term.

Thirdly, the aim of Big Local is to build people’s trust, knowledge and skills in these areas so they are well equipped to respond to the different challenges that they face and improve their local area in the longer term.

The first 50 Big Local areas were announced last year and have been raising awareness of the Big Local programme within their communities, and starting the process of developing their plans for the future.  There is clearly a huge appetite and capacity within communities to take ownership of the programme locally.

A list of the areas can be found on the Big Lottery Fund website Big Lottery Fund

For more information please visit the Big Local website or contact Kirby Swales on k.swales@renaisi.com or telephone 020 7033 2600

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