Development of a Distributed Renewable Energy Pilot Site in Adyghe State University for Off-Road Electric Vehicle Integration and Sustainable Energy Research

Researchers at the Adyghe State University’s Youth Laboratory of Renewable Energy Sources, in collaboration with colleagues from the V.A. Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ICP RAS), have developed a conceptual design for a foundational unit of a pilot testing site for a distributed renewable energy system. This design specifically considers the capabilities and requirements of electric off-road vehicles operating in challenging terrain and climatic conditions.

The project is being developed in alignment with current trends in off-road electric transportation in Russia and takes into account the unique geographical features of Adygea. The core component of the test site is tentatively planned to include a wind farm, a small hydroelectric power plant, a battery storage system, a guaranteed power bus, and a solar photovoltaic power station. Electric transport will serve not only as a consumer of electricity generated by various renewable sources but also as an integral part of the system. It will enhance energy storage capacity within a dedicated node and facilitate electricity delivery to individual consumption points.

The laboratory has already acquired the necessary equipment to establish the node under a state research contract. Approximately 2 million rubles in federal funding have been allocated for this purpose. The deployment of the baseline node is scheduled for the summer of 2026.

Utilizing the prototype node, researchers will conduct investigations to identify effective mechanisms for electricity generation using renewable energy sources. This initiative aligns with Russia’s regional sustainable development program. 

"Using the system we are developing, we intend to evaluate the efficiency of horizontal and vertical wind power plants across typical regional wind speed profiles. Additionally, we will compare the performance of small mobile hydroelectric power plants on various types of water flow. Our analysis will also include assessing the rate of battery capacity degradation under different operating modes and cycles of power generation systems. Furthermore, we will conduct testing of an inverter designed to synchronize power systems derived from diverse renewable energy sources," stated Pavel Buchatsky, Head of the Department of Automated Information Processing and Control Systems at ASU.

The planning process incorporated the results of three years of research conducted by the ASU Renewable Energy Laboratory. Additionally, the project is being developed in collaboration with the V.A. Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which is investigating the performance of electric vehicles under various challenging conditions. This includes testing at sites such as Mount Elbrus, the Kola Peninsula, and Arkhyz. The Youth Laboratory of Renewable Energy Sources at Adyghe State University proposed integrating electric vehicle research with an experiment in energy generation within complex, non-urban landscapes. In 2025, ASU and the Institute of Problems of Control of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IPU RAS) signed a cooperation agreement, leading to a series of joint field trips. These visits aimed to assess potential locations for the prototype unit, determine the necessary equipment, and evaluate the feasibility of testing intelligent control algorithms for off-road electric vehicles with varying levels of autonomy.

To launch the test site, the ASU team evaluated four potential locations spanning from the Lagonaki Plateau to Maikop. The site at the Botanical Garden of Adygea State University was selected as the most suitable based on a comprehensive analysis of various parameters. In March, ASU and IPU RAS researchers conducted the initial field studies on diverse mobile energy system applications during the extended interdepartmental research seminar titled "Intelligent Information Systems and Technologies in Modeling and Control," organized by the Department of Intelligent Information Systems and Technologies at the ASU Institute of Exact Sciences and Digital Technologies. During this seminar, they tested installation and operational scenarios for the solar power plant and recorded the operating parameters of all devices for subsequent analysis and reporting. The research was supported by staff from the Renewable Energy Laboratory, with Nikolai Korgin, Chief Researcher at IPU RAS, and Ilya Rezkov, Researcher, actively participating in the study.

ASU is already simultaneously developing the possibility of using the site for conducting not only research, but also educational, popular science, and tourism events.