Background
Renewable Energy Sources (RES), especially solar PV parks, are increasing their share in the energy production mix of many countries. This increase has created the need for effective control of the variations in RES power production.
What it is
The Archon Project is a research effort aiming at the operational improvement and energy efficiency increase of RES plants as well as the stability of the electricity grid.
Scope
The Archon Project's primary goal is to develop real-time computer systems that execute complex algorithms (based on machine learning, artificial intelligence, and control practices) and communicate with grid operators' central control platform.
In this context, Archon addresses the design and development of a novel system achieving:
- Short-term irradiance forecasting for the PV park area,
- PV park production forecasting, based on the above and the current status of plant units
- Intelligent and dynamic control of power production in real-time (intelligent Power Plant Controller - iPPC)
Contributors
The Archon Project will be contacted by Inaccess Networks S. A., an industry-leading provider of centralized cloud-based smart monitoring and operating systems for RES plants, with global expertise in large-scale solar parks.
The project's team consists of:
- Ph.D. and MSc-holding scientists and engineers with significant experience and extensive publications in related topics.
- Famous and well-established University Laboratories such as UOA's Institute of Accelerating Systems and Applications and NTUA's Institute of Communication and Computer Systems.
Publications
Conferences
- «SoC FPGA Acceleration for Semantic Segmentation of Clouds in Satellite Images», presented at the international conference "VLSI-SoC 2022," October 3-5, 2022, at the University of Patras.
- «Towards Solar Irradiance Forecasting Using Deep Learning on the Edge», presented at the 1st Emerging Tech Conference "Edge Intelligence," held on October 26-27, 2022, in Patras.
- «Comparing the Performance of Cameras and SW packets for the Cloud Coverage Process in Photovoltaic (PV) Parks», στο «2nd Emerging Tech Conference «Edge Intelligence»», presented at the 2nd Emerging Tech Conference "Edge Intelligence," held on October 19 and 20, 2023, in Thessaloniki.
Journals
- «Deep Learning-Based Image Regression for Short-Term Solar Irradiance Forecasting on the Edge», published in the scientific journal "MDPI Electronics" on November 18, 2022.
- «Neural Network-Based Solar Irradiance Forecast for Edge Computing Devices», published in the scientific journal "MDPI Electronics" on October 18, 2023.
- «A taxonomy of short-term solar power forecasting: Classifications focused on climatic conditions and input data», published in the scientific journal "IET Renewable Power Generation" on April 3, 2023.
Results
Archon delivered:
- Low-cost camera-based solar irradiance forecasting system.
• Short-term production forecasting (nowcasting) system based on artificial intelligence mechanisms.
• Intelligent field controller for solar photovoltaic (PV) and hybrid parks.
Project Finances
The finances for this project are shown below.
Budget: 591.705,00 €
Public expenses: 405.935,00 €
Contact
For more information about Archon, please send your inquiry to info.rnd@inaccessnetworks.com.
Participation in the Exhibition "4th international exhibition ENERGIA", TEC 21-23 October 2022, Athens
In collaboration with the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), the research results of ARCHON were presented at the 4th International Exhibition ENERGIA.TEC - 2022.
Participation in the Technology Exhibition of the 1st Emerging Tech Conference "Edge Intelligence", October 26-27, 2022, Patras
Participation in the 1st Emerging Tech Conference co-organized by HETiA (Hellenic Emerging Technologies Industry Association) and the University of Patras, aiming to highlight the collaborations between academia and the business world. The Company participated with a paper presentation and an exhibition booth.
Organization of Dissemination & Exploitation event, October 2, 2023, Athens
Dissemination & Exploitation event featuring the presentation of the research and commercially exploitable results of ARCHON to the scientific and business community
Organization of Dissemination event, December 7, 2023, Athens
Dissemination & Exploitation event targeting a broad scientific and business audience, focusing on the research and commercially exploitable results of the company's research projects, with particular emphasis on the ARCHON project.
