Nicosia Pilot

Synergetic management of bidirectional charging and RES to relieve grid congestion

Location and context

The Nicosia pilot is located in the University of Cyprus campus, a 600,000 m² area that serves approximately 10,000 students, faculty, and staff. The pilot aims to support the country’s growing EV adoption, with an estimated 150–200 EV users during the project period and a projected increase to 1,500 EV users by 2035.

This site features a renewable energy infrastructure with 400 kW of photovoltaics (PV) and 15 kWh of battery storage, which will be expanded to 5.4 MW PV capacity and 2.35 MWh of storage by 2026. The pilot focuses on developing an integrated approach to EV charging that maximises renewable energy utilisation while minimising grid congestion risks.

Demonstration activities

The Nicosia pilot will install at least 16 bidirectional AC chargers, each with 11 kW charging power (Type 2 connectors). These chargers will be strategically placed in public parking areas, ensuring minimal disruption to bike lanes and pedestrian pathways while maintaining full compatibility with existing standard protocols for interoperability.

A key innovation in this pilot is the multi-level synergetic management framework, which enables real-time coordination between distribution system operators (DSOs), prosumers, charging point operators, and EV users. By optimising energy flows, this system aims to reduce charging costs, increase renewable energy penetration, and prevent local grid congestion.

Key partners

Lead
Pilot Leader, algorithms and software development, grid-level and charging-level optimization solutions demonstration, large-scale impact investigations.