Transforming UCY into a Smart Energy Campus

Upgrading renewable energy and smart grids testing infrastructure at the University of Cyprus

The University of Cyprus is upgrading its renewable energy and smart grids testing infrastructure through a 1.9 million investment financed by the EU Recovery and Resiliency Facility. PHAETHON CoE is meaningfully contributing to materialising this upgrade, in service of advancing the Energy Transition in Cyprus.

Initiative Focus

Green Economy Transition

Climate Neutrality, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Penetration

Investment & Funding

€1.9 Million

EU Recovery & Resilience Plan

Implementation Timeline

33 Months

(2022-2025)

Implementation Partner

PHAETHON Centre of Excellence

University of Cyprus

Short Description

The aim of the specific investment is the creation of significant research capacity for Cyprus to develop its renewable energy and smart grids infrastructure and to shift towards clean energy. This enables technologies such as energy storage, smart meters and intelligent systems as well as energy efficiency to achieve the decarbonisation of its energy system.

Ultimately, the project is part of the strategic planning for the transformation of the University Campus into a green and smart Campus, which will be able to deal flexibly with the future challenges of the University’s development in a sustainable context.

The infrastructure will allow research and development (R&D), technological services, testing and certification, transfer of industrial property, business promotion and diversification and innovation management. Provides a multifunctional environment of a multitude of testbeds.

Objectives

Support the rapid growth of research activities in photovoltaics and smart grids by upgrading campus facilities and expanding into the newly constructed School of Engineering.

Connect the simulation equipment to the campus microgrid comprising a 10 MWp photovoltaic system, 5 MWh battery storage, to develop an intelligent emulation control system that serves as a cutting-edge research platform.

Equip the university with advanced diagnostics and testing infrastructure for PV and smart grid technologies, forming a core technological pillar for long-term research and innovation.

Establish the University of Cyprus as one of the few institutions in Europe with state-of-the-art research infrastructure in photovoltaics and smart grids.

Enable UCY and PHAETHON CoE to lead pioneering research, attract EU investment, and foster collaboration with globally recognized research institution.

Benefits and Outcomes

The investment provides significant opportunities for the utilisation of the infrastructure, either by the local industry, SMEs or other spin-off companies expected to arise from the exploitation of new PV technologies, battery storage systems and enabling technologies for resilient smart girds, which will help them enhance their competitiveness. The infrastructure will also offer further services to international companies, such as assessing new concepts, providing quality assurance and undertaking standardised testing for new products and solutions.

In particular, the outcomes of this investment include:

  • Enabling local industry, SMEs, and spin-offs to utilise cutting-edge infrastructure for the development and testing of new PV, battery storage, and smart grid technologies.
  • Supporting the commercialisation of innovations, helping emerging companies enhance their market competitiveness.
  • Offering international companies access to high-end facilities for concept validation, quality assurance, and standardised product testing.
  • Facilitating the growth of a regional innovation ecosystem around resilient smart grid and renewable energy solutions.
  • Strengthening the University’s visibility at national and international level – Attracting outstanding students.

Research Equipment

State-of-the-art equipment for testing and demonstrating advanced renewable energy source technologies, smart grids and smart energy systems at University of Cyprus PHAETHON CoE.

The facility supports the following research areas:

  • Distributed generation and advanced flexibility technologies for electrical power systems.
  • Energy storage systems.
  • Smart electricity networks and energy management.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) and energy analytics.
  • Real-time simulation of smart grid technologies.
  • Energy policy and energy economics.

Testing capabilities

  • Indoor performance evaluation and characterisation of new technology photovoltaic cells and modules under controlled irradiance and temperature conditions as per the requirements of IEC 61215.
  • Environmental condition and durability testing of photovoltaic cells and modules under controlled thermal and humidity cycles as per IEC 61215.
  • Electroluminescence and UV Fluorescence testing for the detection of microcracks, cell damage, and material defects in PV modules using high-resolution imaging techniques.
  • Thermal cycling and safety testing of battery cells and modules under various temperature profiles to evaluate performance and reliability.
  • Simulation of real-world microgrid scenarios to validate energy management strategies and control algorithms.
  • Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing for integrating control systems with real-time power system simulations in the energy field.
  • Testing of substation protection schemes, relay coordination, and control systems in simulated substation environments.
  • Smart grid technology interoperability testing and grid integration connection as per IEC 61850.

Equipment for Solar Photovoltaic Characterisation and Testing

State-of-the-art solar simulator 2.5 x 2.5 m (A+) for solar photpvtovoltaic cell and module testing.

Solar Simulator

  • Conducts standardized testing of photovoltaic cells and modules under controlled irradiance and temperature conditions.
  • Enables performance characterization of solar modules according to IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 standards.
  • Measures current-voltage (I-V) curves to determine key PV parameters such as efficiency, fill factor, and maximum power point.
  • Supports testing of both crystalline silicon and thin-film technologies at module scale.
  • Facilitates repeatable indoor testing for quality control and comparative analysis of PV technologies.
  • Allows evaluation of module performance degradation and thermal behavior under simulated sunlight.

Indoor and outdoor fault detection imaging tools for photovoltaic systems.

Electroluminescence and UV Fluorescence

  • Detects microcracks, broken cells, and interconnect failures through high-resolution electroluminescence imaging.
  • Locates surface contamination and degradation patterns via UV fluorescence imaging.
  • Enables early fault diagnosis and classification to prevent performance losses and safety risks.
  • Supports comparative analysis of module degradation over time through time-lapse imaging.
  • Validates manufacturing quality and installation integrity of PV modules.

Equipment for Battery Characterisation and Testing

Environmental chamber used to safely test the performance, durability, and safety of battery cells, modules, or packs under varying temperature and environmental conditions (EUCAR compliance).

Battery Chamber

  • Evaluating cycle life, capacity retention, and state-of-health under different thermal conditions.
  • Performing safety and compliance testing (IEC, UL, UN38.3 standards).
  • Supporting R&D and quality assurance for lithium-ion and other battery chemistries.

Equipment for Smart Grids Emulation and Testing

State-of-the-art testbed for demonstrating advanced microgrid operation and control concepts.

Microgrid emulation and control testbed

  • Simulates real-world microgrid configurations for testing energy management and control strategies.
  • Enables integration and validation of distributed energy resources (DERs), storage, and loads in a controlled environment.
  • Supports the development and testing of grid-forming and grid-following inverter controls.
  • Facilitates performance evaluation of microgrid controllers under islanded and grid-connected scenarios.
  • Allows testing of demand-side management, load shedding, and fault recovery strategies.

Real-time simulation testbed for control- and power-hardware-in-the-loop simulations of smart energy systems.

Real-time simulation testbed

  • Provides a platform for hardware-in-the-loop testing of smart grid and energy technology and control algorithms.
  • Simulates dynamic grid conditions in real time to evaluate system stability and controller response.
  • Facilitates the development and validation of advanced control algorithms for microgrids and distributed energy resources.
  • Supports co-simulation of electrical, thermal, and communication systems for integrated system analysis.
  • Allows safe testing of new technologies and configurations before deployment in real-world environments.

Modern grid substation testing and emulation testbed.

Smart Substation testbed

  • Enables testing and validation of protection schemes using digital relays and automation systems.
  • Supports substation control testing under dynamic grid conditions.
  • Facilitates testing of IEC 61850-based communication protocols for interoperability and system integration.
  • Allows simulation of fault scenarios to assess relay coordination and system response.
  • Provides a platform for validating advanced substation monitoring, control, and fault isolation strategies.

Advanced SCADA-interface weather station with sky camera imager.

Smart Weather Station and Data Acquisition

  • Captures high-resolution sky images to support cloud tracking and solar irradiance forecasting.
  • Monitors key meteorological parameters such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation in real time.
  • Provides accurate weather data for PV performance analysis and energy yield assessments.
  • Enables integration with SCADA systems for synchronized environmental and operational data acquisition.
  • Supports the validation of weather-based predictive models for solar power generation and grid planning.

The system includes programmable automation controllers for real-time control and a video wall for visualizing energy management dashboards and system performance.

Advanced control and monitoring

  • Enables real-time monitoring and control of energy systems using programmable automation controllers.
  • Facilitates testing of automated control algorithms and demand-response strategies.
  • Visualizes energy flows, performance metrics, and fault conditions through an interactive video wall.
  • Supports validation of smart grid control architectures in simulated and live environments.
  • Enhances system oversight and decision-making through centralized visualization of data and alerts.

More Information

For more information, please contact us at:

  • Τel: 22894321

  • Email: info@phaethon-coe.eu

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