Satellite IoT supports renewable energy systems planning in Benban solar farm, Egypt – helps to develop a dedicated energy management system  

Lausanne, Switzerland, April 4, 2023 -  Astrocast, a leading global nanosatellite IoT network operator, today announces its participation in the European Union (EU) funded CiROCCO initiative. CiROCCO forms a key part of the EU’s Horizon Europe Progamme, a funding programme for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billion. The CiROCCO research project aims to establish a low-cost and sustainable network of electronic sensing nodes in under-sampled desert areas and ecosystems in Egypt, Serbia and Spain. Astrocast will be involved in CiROCCO’s Benban solar farm project in Egypt, where SatIoT will support with renewable energy systems (RES) planning.  

CiROCCO was founded on March 1, 2023. Over the next three years, a consortium of twelve organisations, including universities, governments, NGOs and enterprises will drive the initiative forward. Key objectives include:  

Broadly speaking, CiROCCO aims to collect data from low-cost, stand-alone, electronic sensing nodes, in addition to higher-quality, off-the-self, sensing stations and medium-cost portable sun photometers through mobile monitoring devices.  Astrocast’s involvement here will primarily focus on a Renewable Energy Systems (RES) Planning pilot project at the Benban solar farm, Egypt. Astrocast’s SatIoT connectivity will allow data transmission to take place in this remote location between the various sensors and their operational teams, enabling them to transmit, access and interpret the data they need.  

For example, sensor information that is transmitted via Astrocast’s SatIoT will be used to deliver a data modelling infrastructure. This will enable this project to manage energy and optimise production more effectively. It includes tracking solar radiation measurements – to harmonise this with actual power production, for data assimilation into solar energy models and for forecasting purposes.  

Wind speed and direction will be tracked. This will help provide information about dust forecasting and load estimation. Dust modelling will be compared with air quality quantification. Temperature and humidity of the solar panels will be monitored too, and this will help the operator to ensure optimal operating conditions and manage maintenance alerts relating to solar panel efficiency.  

The Benban solar farm will also use the information that it gathers about real power and energy production to validate the observational and modelling approaches that are being deployed. As a result, the project hopes to develop a sophisticated, dedicated energy management system for the Benban solar project – and a more powerful model that other organisations can learn from, replicate and apply to other solar farms in Egypt and across the world. 

The consortium of organisations participating in the CiROCCO research project will collaborate closely with post-project operating entities to achieve the critical objectives of the CiROCCO project. A list of parties involved can be found here.  

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Astrocast SA operates a leading global nanosatellite IoT network, offering services in industries such as Agriculture & Livestock, Maritime, Environment & Utilities. The Astrocast network enables companies to monitor, track, and communicate with remote assets worldwide. It relies on superior L-band spectrum through a strategic alliance with Thuraya. Furthermore, in partnership with Airbus, CEA/LETI and ESA, Astrocast developed Astronode S, an ultra-low power and miniaturised module compatible with inexpensive L-band patch antennas. Founded in 2014 by a renowned team of experts, Astrocast develops and tests all its products in-house, from the satellites to the modules. Astrocast is listed on Euronext Growth Oslo.   

For more information visit astrocast.com  

CiROCCO (Enhancing the In-situ Environmental Observations across Under-sampled Deserts) is coordinated by the Institute of Communication & Computer Systems (ICCS) in Greece and involves 12 organisations from 4 EU members (Greece, Cyprus, Spain, and Luxembourg) and 3 non-EU countries (Switzerland, Egypt, and Serbia). The consortium comprises 3 Academic and Research Technology Organisations, 4 companies, and 5 national, regional, and local authorities. The project will run from 1 March 2023 to 28 February 2026 and has a budget of €3.5M. 

For more information visit: Home – CiROCCO (cirocco-project.eu) 

Fatima Vigil
media@astrocast.com