Demo 5: Ikaria, Greece Hydro-Pumped storage plant

Ikaria is a non-interconnected Greek island with a large scale Hydro-Pumped Storage System (HPSS) and constitutes the 5^th demo site of SINNOGENES. The purpose is twofold:

• To optimize the daily operation considering the current status of the island, with Wind Farms (WFs), Photovoltaics (PVs), the HPSS, and the local thermal units
• To study and optimize the upcoming interconnection with the neighboring island of Samos, which shall later on be interconnected with the mainland too.

HPSS graphical illustration.

For this purpose, Demo #5 comprises 3 operators:

• The Distribution System Operator (DSO), HEDNO,
• The Transmission System Operator (TSO), IPTO
• The HPSS operator, PPC-R

And also develops 3 tools for these operators:

• An AI-based forecaster, forecasting renewable production and load
• An optimizer, providing the day ahead dispatch for both interconnected and non-interconnected operation
• A Digital Twin (DT) to calculate the power flows: i) from the optimizer, for planning purposes, ii) from the SCADA, for grid monitoring

Day ahead optimization after the Ikaria-Samos interconnection.

The tools are incorporated in the operators’ activities and provide useful insight and assessment of the HPSS potential and the interconnection’s capabilities. They can operate individually or feed each other, in a chain, via the SINNO middleware.

SINNOGENES tools, linked to the SINNO middleware.

Moreover, they can cooperate with the operators’ tools. For example, inspired by the developed solutions and driven by the current TSO needs, IPTO developed a day ahead optimization tool for the assessment of standalone BESS, which will be installed in the Greek transmission system from 2026 onwards, and will affect the local curtailments. The tool examines different operation frameworks and focuses on interconnected island installations. The output of this tool is then passed as input to the SINNOGENES DT tool, to calculate the respective power flows and verify the outcome.

IPTO’s standalone storage tool, in cooperation with the SINNOGENES toolkit, presented at the plenary meeting hosted by IPTO, 3/2026.

The Ikaria demo was presented at the 17th Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Conference, held in Chania, Greece from April 17–19, 2026.  Representatives from IPTO’s Research, Development and Technology Department presented the insights gained in the framework of SINNOGENES with respect to the Ikaria Demo Site. The presentation was mainly focused on the diverse portfolio of storage technologies utilized in the project—ranging from Pumped Hydro and Lithium-ion batteries to Hydrogen and Flywheels—and their role in modern power systems. Specifically, as part of the  Greek Demo Site led by IPTO, the following aspects were examined:

1. The setup of a digital twin: The integration of advanced tools developed within the project into the existing system and the future interconnected one to optimize network monitoring.
2. Pilot program use cases: The development of scenarios derived from data collected by pilot site and the digital twin, aiming to improve network planning and development procedures in terms of economic efficiency and environmental benefits.

SINNOGENES presented at the 17th Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Conference, held in Chania, Greece.

The demo is in the process of finalizing its activities and reporting the outcome of the key performance indicators, which focus mostly on CO2 emissions reduction.