History of the Conference | Faculty of Electrical and Control Engineering at the Gdańsk University of Technology

The origins of APE

The origins of APE, i.e. Advances in Power Engineering Conference (Polish translation: Aktualne Problemy w Elektroenergetyce), date back to the 1970s of the XXth Century. At the beginning, the Conference was organized by the Institute of Power Engineering and System Control at the Silesian University of Technology under the direction of prof. Antoni Bogucki. First conferences of the series covered the field of control systems in power engineering. Starting form the year 1993, the list of preferred subjects was extended by the issues being in the broad sense of the term power engineering. At that time, organizers invited conference participants to Gliwice and Kozubek (Poland).

In the year 1995, the Conference venue was relocated to the Northern Poland to Jurata with prof. Zbigniew Szczerba and his team form the then Department of Power Systems at Gdansk University of Technology being in charge of organizing the event. The conference took the form of “Polish CIGRE” by means of introducing thematic parallel sessions to the Conference program in order to cover wider area of issues. Starting from the year 2005, plenary papers open the Conference sessions.

As a result of the changes within the structure of Gdansk University of Technology a merger of two former departments i.e. the Department of Power Engineering was established. It was our pleasure and honor to celebrate the XV Jubilee APE Conference and APE 40th anniversary in the year 2011.

APE pioneers

Prof. dr hab. inż. Antoni Bogucki - mentioned in the introductions of APE conference proceedings. Professor was the initiator and president of the first conferences of APE series. For many years he performed duties as the Director of the Institute of Power Engineering and System Control at the Silesian University of Technology as well as the Vice-Dean for Scientific Research and Vice-Rector for Scientific Research at the university.

Prof. dr hab. inż. Roman Janiczek continued the mission initiated by his predecessor. He also took the responsibilities as the Director of the Institute of Power Engineering and System Control at the Silesian University of Technology. Being convinced of a necessity for the verification of his knowledge with practice, he was employed, inter alia, as a specialist in Rybnik Power Plant, as a Director of the Department of Development in Polish Transmission System Operator in Warsaw and by EPC SA in Warsaw.

Prof. dr hab. inż. Wilibald Winkler belongs to the founders of APE conference. He was always wholeheartedly supporting this initiative. As an activist and the representative of scientific environment he performed duties as a voivod (governor) of Silesian region, Deputy Minister of Education and the Rector of Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice.

APE at GUT

Prof. dr hab. inż. Zbigniew Szczerba is an initiator of APE in Northern Poland. For many years he took the responsibilities of the President of APE Scientific Committee, section chairman, reviewer, speaker and author of many papers presented at the Conference. Prof. Szczerba transformed the conference structure into “Polish CIGRE” and owing to the fact made the Conference even more popular.

Mr. Ryszard Pochyluk is a long-term employee of the Department of Power Engineering at Gdansk University of Technology. Starting from VIIth until XIVth APE Conference he took the responsibilities as a leader of Organizing Committee from logistics point of view. An extraordinary engineer, known for his devotion and commitment in the current issues of power engineering.

Prof. dr hab. inż. Ryszard Zajczyk is a long-term Chairman of the Departament of Power Engineering at Gdansk University of Technology. Author of the papers, reviewer, speaker and APE section chairman. Currently, prof. Zajczyk is the President of Scientific Committee.

Current APE

Since 1995 Conference held on the Hel Peninsula in Jurata – a tourist center. APE Scientific Conference was one of the first events of such scale taking place in this seaside resort. Owing to the location of conference venue, the participants have an opportunity to admire the beauty of Baltic Sea. From 2015 The Conference takes place in Jastrzębia Góra, equally beautiful tourist center.

Staying for a few days here makes it possible to experience the atmosphere of this enchanting place, to feel the hospitality and to taste an excellent cuisine offered by the hotels, where APE conference participants are accommodated.

Conference sessions are run in sections and thematic subsections according to the Conference agenda. Speakers present their papers in front of the audience or on the posters. Each section is moderated by the chairman. Coffee breaks and informal meetings create the opportunity to exchange the knowledge and experience. Artistic performance and formal dinner became a tradition of the APE Conference. Scientific Committee supervises the content-related level of the Conference. Our irreplaceable APE Secretariat offers their helping hand, whenever needed during the entire Conference period.

Organizing Committee

The origins of APE, i.e. Advances in Power Engineering Conference (Polish translation: Aktualne Problemy w Elektroenergetyce), date back to the 1970s of the XXth Century. At the beginning, the Conference was organized by the Institute of Power Engineering and System Control at the Silesian University of Technology.

In the years 1995-2023, the following team of employees participated in the organization of the Conference:

Zbigniew Szczerba, Ryszard Pochyluk, Ryszard Zajczyk, Andrzej Siodelski, Lesław Olbrycht, Jerzy Gorzkowski, Artur Grzenkowicz, Michał Wrycza, Jan Kotlewski, Halina Kwiatkowska, Mariola Lubińska, Zbigniew Lubośny, Jacek Klucznik, Anna Jadachowska-Nieczaj, Robert Małkowski, Krzysztof Dobrzyński, Robert Kowalak, Michał Gorzkowski, Stanisław Czapp, Agnieszka Kaczmarek-Kacprzak, Marcin Jaskólski, Izabela Prażuch, Artur Zbroński, Małgorzata Pasieczna, Tomasz Minkiewicz, Alicja Lenarczyk, Wiktoria Stahl.

Scientific Committee

The great men of science and industry whose knowledge and experience have been commonly creating APE:

Andruszkiewicz Jerzy, Bacha Seddik, Białek Janusz, Bizik Juraj, Bogucki Antoni, Bujko Jan, Cegielski Marian, Domagała Krzysztof, Dudzik Jerzy, Frydrykowski Ryszard, Ganim Aleksander, Golub Irina I., Grenoble Joseph Fourier, Haudschin Edmund, Janiczek Roman, Kacejko Piotr, Kamrat Waldemar, Karpeta Česlav, Kasprzyk Stefania, Kulczycki Jerzy, Kłos Andrzej, Kowalski Zbigniew, Kremens Zdzisław, Kuczkowski Roman, Kujszczyk Szczęsny, Lipko Krzysztof, Lorenc Józef, Lubośny Zbigniew, Machowski Jan, Madajewski Krzysztof, Majchrzak Henryk, Malik Om, Malko Jacek, Marecki Jacek, Milanowic Jovica, Mitkowski Eugeniusz, Nowak Leszek, Paska Józef, Paszek Stefan, Pawlik Maciej, Pitrone Nicola, Popczyk Jan, Rosołowski Eugeniusz, Różycki Artur, Skomudek Waldemar, Sobierajski Marian, Sowa Paweł, Stade Dietrich, Strojev Vladimir A., Styczyński Zbigniew, Szczerba Zbigniew, Tuma Jiri, Vesely Vojtech, Wańkowicz Jacek, Wilczyński Artur, Winkler Wilibald, Wiszniewski Andrzej, Zajczyk Ryszard, Zhezhelenko Igor, Żmuda Kurt.

Scientific Secretary

First APE Scientific Secretary from Gdansk University of Technology – Lesław Olbrycht – used to read every paper, page by page, and correct it before the proceedings were printed and distributed to Conference participants. Second APE Scientific Secretary was Jacek Klucznik. Together with the President of Scientific Committee he is responsible for the conference agenda. In 2015-2017 and 2023, Marcin Jaskólski was the scientific secretary. Jacek Klucznik became the scientific secretary during the APE'19 and APE'25 Conference.