Thomas Williams, who is currently a Bath University placement student working in Quintessa’s Henley office, and another Bath University placement student Graham Cooper recently made it to the final of a new forecasting competition organized by RWE npower.
The Forecasting Challenge presented teams of between two and four with the task of forecasting national power consumption based on weather and other relevant data, such as the type of day. Around 80 teams entered the competition but only the top 5 teams were invited to the final, which was held in the npower offices in Solihull. Each team presented their models to a panel of judges, made up of four executive employees, which was a great experience for all involved. The teams were also given a number of presentations about the work carried out at npower, a chance to network with current graduate trainees and the executive panel, as well as information about the internship and graduate scheme programmes offered by npower. Despite not claiming the prize (which was awarded to students from the University of Birmingham with an impressive score in the final round), Thomas and Graham thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the competition and were thrilled to make it to the final of such an interesting and well-subscribed competition.