The KIOS Research and Innovation Centre of Excellence of the University of Cyprus is participating as a partner in a large research project entitled “TwinEU”, which is funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme. The project lays the foundations for the digitalisation of the European electricity system in order to achieve reliable and smooth operation of the system, while accelerating the integration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) into the European electricity system.
The idea of digitising Europe’s energy system
Europe’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and the consequences of climate change make the need for an energy transition imperative. To this end, Europe has developed an action plan aimed at digitising electricity systems, which will contribute drastically to increasing the penetration of renewables, while making the infrastructure of the systems more resilient, safer and more cost-effective. An important part of the effort to digitise power systems is the virtual representation of the system in a digital twin.
The TwinEU project brings together 75 organisations from 15 different European countries, who will work together to create a pan-European digital twin based on the individual digital twins of each country. Through the project, technological tools will be developed and piloted in 11 European countries, including Cyprus. The aim of the pilots is to test and evaluate the technologies in different geographical areas and markets, as well as in different scenarios of system operation.
Pilot project in the Eastern Mediterranean region
The KIOS Research and Innovation Centre of Excellence will play an essential role in the implementation of the pilot project in the Eastern Mediterranean region, which focuses on the integration of the digital twin power systems of mainland Greece, Crete and Cyprus. In this context, the KIOS research team will be responsible for the creation of the digital twin linking the electricity system of Cyprus and Crete, along with the development of methodologies for real-time monitoring and control of the interconnection. In addition, KIOS will lead efforts to assess the resilience of the electricity grid against cyber-physical threats.
On behalf of Cyprus, the project involves the Cyprus Electricity Authority, the Cyprus Transmission System Operator and T.P. Aeolian Dynamics. The research team from the KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence of the University of Cyprus, which is participating in the TwinEU project, consists of Professor Christos Panayiotou and Research Lecturers Dr. Markos Asprou and Dr. Lenos Hadjidimitriou.
Source: University of Cyprus | News (https://shorturl.at/goGWY)