ExPEDite: Enabling Positive Energy Districts through a Planning and Management Digital Twin

• Programme: EU Programme (Source 1401, 2401), Horizon Europe
• Funding provider: European Union
• Project duration: 2024–2026
• Principal Investigator: prof. Ing. Stanislav Mišák, Ph.D.
• The ExPEDite project focuses on the development and deployment of a new digital twin (DT) enabling real-time monitoring, visualisation and management of energy flows within a selected area.

NATIONAL CENTRE FOR ENERGY II (NCE II)

• Project No. TN02000025
• Funding provider: Technology Agency of the Czech Republic
• Project duration: 2023–2028
• Principal Investigator: prof. Ing. Stanislav Mišák, Ph.D.
• The mission of NCE II is to foster long-term cooperation between leading research organisations and key industry stakeholders in the energy sector. NCE II brings together leading research organisations, universities and innovation leaders in the field of modern energy.

Development of a digital solution for optimal technology management within community energy

• Project No. CZ.01.01.01/01/24_062/0007680
• Funding provider: Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic
• Project duration: 2025–2027
• Principal Investigator: doc. Ing. Lukáš Prokop, Ph.D.
• The objective of the project is to develop a digital solution for the simulation and optimal control of technologies within community energy systems. The simulation component focuses primarily on designing the topology and selecting specific technologies for distributed networks of electricity generation sources and consumers, with particular emphasis on economic viability, taking into account technology costs and current energy market conditions.

Common Actuator Controller

• Project No. EG20_321/0024308
• Funding provider: Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic
• Project duration: 2021–2022
• Principal Investigator: prof. Ing. Stanislav Mišák, Ph.D.
• The project focused on the research and development of a new generation of modular control units for advanced aircraft electromechanical actuators. These systems are intended for emerging aircraft architectures such as More Electric Aircraft (MEA) and the more advanced Full Electric Aircraft (FEA) concepts. Their development is expected to contribute to more environmentally sustainable aviation through significantly greater use of electrical energy, which also entails a number of technological changes, including the transition to substantially higher onboard electrical system voltages.

• The research group combines experimental research, advanced measurement techniques, mathematical modelling, data analytics and the development of control algorithms to design, optimise and validate modern energy systems. Research focuses on smart grids, renewable energy sources, battery energy storage systems, microgrids, community energy, electric mobility, electrical equipment diagnostics and digital twins of energy systems. A significant part of the group’s activities is dedicated to electrical equipment diagnostics and high-voltage testing. We focus on developing diagnostic methods, monitoring equipment condition, partial discharge diagnostics, power quality assessment and supporting predictive maintenance. Measurements are carried out both under laboratory conditions and directly on operating energy equipment. The combination of experimental infrastructure, high-voltage laboratories, advanced modelling, software development and close cooperation with industrial partners enables us to conduct applied research with a direct impact on the development of modern energy systems, the digitalisation of distribution grids, improved operational reliability and the safe operation of electrical equipment.
• The algorithms, diagnostic methods and new technologies we develop are validated using numerical simulations, digital twins, Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) platforms and laboratory experiments. The laboratory enables testing of photovoltaic power plants, battery energy storage systems, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, microgrids, islanded energy systems and electrical equipment under both normal and fault operating conditions.
• Our research methodology is based on the analysis of energy flows, operational data and technical equipment parameters. These data are used to develop mathematical models and control algorithms for optimising energy generation, storage and consumption, predicting operating conditions, and efficiently managing both distribution and local energy systems. The research also incorporates artificial intelligence methods, data analytics and predictive control.

We have developed and patented a method for contactless detection of insulation faults. The method uses an SDR module to perform broadband analysis of the electromagnetic field surrounding an electrical power line within a predefined time interval. Specific frequency bands containing electromagnetic signals most relevant to fault detection are scanned. The signals are then converted to an intermediate frequency (IF) and separated into In-phase (I) and Quadrature (Q) components. A specialised algorithm subsequently transforms these components into a complex spectrogram for further analysis.

We have also developed software – the Application for Comprehensive Management of the Energy Balance of Charging Infrastructure Using an Iterative Approach. The application calculates the energy balance of an energy system, either independently or in cooperation with any energy management system, and continuously determines the charging power required by charging stations based on the required vehicle range, as well as the amount of energy available for charging. The application continuously generates control commands for the charging station network.

We have also developed a prototype/functional demonstrator – a Test Bench for Partial Discharge Measurement under Specific Environmental Conditions. The system consists of a vacuum chamber that allows high voltage to be introduced into its interior while maintaining airtightness. The chamber can be heated up to 200 °C; the heating system is controlled by a thermal relay and uses a stainless-steel heating cable as the heating element. The maximum voltage that can be applied to the chamber is limited by its design and internal pressure. At atmospheric pressure, the maximum voltage is 10 kV AC, while at 200 mbar it is 6 kV AC. Exceeding these values may result in flashover between the high-voltage terminal and the chamber body.

The chamber is fitted with a quartz-glass viewing window, enabling processes inside the chamber to be observed, including with a UVC-sensitive camera. Pressure control is provided by an Orbit Merret controller, which can be configured to operate the vacuum pump used to generate reduced pressure. The system also supports bridge measurement, allowing interference entering the measurement chain upstream of the chamber to be suppressed.