Home

Smart grid is a dynamically interactive real-time infrastructure concept that encompasses the many visions of diverse energy
system stakeholders. The Smart Grid is integrating the electrical and information technologies in between any point of
generation and any point of consumption. The main objective of the project is to fully analyze all aspects of smart grids
targeting in the improvement of reliability, mitigation of security risks, increase load shaping and energy efficiency, optimal
integration and generation-consumption matching as well as smart monitoring and control.
To this end, the aim of the SMART GEMS project is to use Smart Grids’ optimization and reliable operation concept as the
common basis for collaboration and staff exchange among the partners.

Collaboration and staff exchange is pursued through a significant number of secondments from academic to industrial partners and vice versa. This is part of a specific plan which targets at the implementation of smart grid related research, training, innovation and dissemination activities. 

Smart grids provide an excellent topic for knowledge sharing, creativity and entrepreneurship. The major aspects of smart grid interdisciplinary nature to be examined by SMART GEMS are:

• Renewable Energy Sources Integration (PV, Concentrated PV, Small Hydroelectric, Concentrated Solar Thermal, Cogeneration, Geothermal)
• Smart metering and interconnection with the electricity grid
• Demand response and demand management
• Smart buildings
• Smart controls and optimisation
• Integration and conflicts' management
• Technology and innovation

Smart GEMS is based on a cycle expansion of three phases:

The first phase starts from the users (prosumers) aspects by focusing on smart and zero energy building analysis.

In the second phase research activities are focused on the various smart grid components expanding the cycle by the smart grids' penetration at community level.

The third phase concerns the integration of all components targeting the development of smart applications for optimisation purposes.

In smart and zero building energy research activities, integrated energy design, advanced monitoring and control techniques and the role of zero energy buildings in smart grids are examined.

In smart communities and smart grids, research projects deal with the optimised operation of the smart grid by using prediction of energy loads, prediction of power generation and load shaping or shaving techniques using intelligent metering equipment by Elgama-Elektronika.

Optimisation of renewables operation with the aid of advanced demand side management and demand response optimisation methodologies based on two existing microgrid infrastructures owned by TUC (Camp IT) and AEA (Smart Leaf) is performed.

Technologies such as Concentrated Solar Power and Concentrated Photovoltaic systems (CSP/CPV) and integration in polygenerative energy districts is evaluated from technical and financial perspectives.

The effective management of smart grids and innovations in the successful integration of components but also in processes, services and systems is pursued.

Project duration: 1/9/2015 -1/9/2019

 Acknowledgements

 “This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 645677”.