The Foundation for Innovation and Research – Malta (FiR.mt) participated in the IEEE PES Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Europe 2026 (ISGT Europe 2026) conference, held in Budapest, Hungary, from 19 to 22 October 2026.

FiR.mt’s contributions included the presentation of scientific research on electric vehicle charging and electricity network integration, chairing a technical session, participation in the IEEE ISGT Europe Steering Committee, and engagement with international researchers and industry representatives.

Advancing Research on Grid-Aware Electromobility

FiR.mt presented a scientific poster entitled “From Measured EV Charging Behaviour to Grid-Aware Frugal Electromobility: Validating a Battery Model for Real-Time HIL and LV-Network Studies”, authored by Vlad Costea, Brian Bartolo and Brian Azzopardi.

The research, undertaken with support from the European Union-funded GIANTS project, investigates how measured electric vehicle (EV) charging behaviour can improve battery modelling and support more realistic assessments of EV integration into low-voltage electricity networks.

Using data from 14 real charging sessions, the researchers progressively refined and validated a lithium-ion battery charging model, reducing the mean absolute final depth-of-discharge (DoD) error from 0.095 to 0.016 and the pooled full-session root mean square error (RMSE) from 0.090 to 0.041.

The study also highlighted important differences between actual EV charging behaviour and the constant-power assumptions frequently adopted in electricity network studies. Real-time verification using a Typhoon hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) platform demonstrated close agreement with offline simulation results, providing a validated basis for subsequent real-time and low-voltage network investigations.

These findings contribute towards more accurate representations of EV charging demand and support the development of grid-aware, affordable electromobility solutions.

The poster formed part of the conference’s scientific poster reception on 20 October 2026.

Contribution to the Technical Programme

On 21 October 2026, Prof. Dr Inġ. Brian Azzopardi, Chair of FiR.mt, chaired the technical session “Grid Protection and Low Inertia Operation” (OS3C).

The session addressed emerging challenges in power system protection and operation, particularly as electricity networks accommodate increasing shares of renewable energy sources and inverter-based technologies.

Chairing the session provided an opportunity to facilitate scientific discussion and exchange perspectives on the evolving technical challenges facing modern electricity systems.

Participation in the IEEE ISGT Europe Steering Committee

Prof. Dr Inġ. Brian Azzopardi also participated as a member of the IEEE ISGT Europe Steering Committee, attending its meeting held alongside the conference in Budapest.

The Steering Committee contributes to the continuity and strategic development of the IEEE ISGT Europe conference series, fostering international scientific exchange and collaboration across the power and energy research community.

This participation reflects FiR.mt’s continued engagement with international scientific networks and its contribution to activities extending beyond individual research projects.

Strengthening International Research Connections

Beyond the scientific programme and committee activities, IEEE ISGT Europe 2026 provided valuable opportunities to reconnect with international colleagues, strengthen existing research relationships and engage with representatives from academia and industry.

Discussions throughout the conference, including its networking and gala events, supported the exchange of ideas and exploration of future collaboration opportunities in smart grids, energy systems and sustainable electromobility.

FiR.mt’s participation reflects its commitment to connecting Malta’s research and innovation activities with the wider international power and energy community.

Acknowledgements

The presented research contributes to the GIANTS project (Grant Agreement No. 101138220), funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme.

Prof. Dr Inġ. Brian Azzopardi’s participation was partially supported through the POWER-UP Global project, funded by Xjenza Malta under its Networking Scheme, facilitating international scientific engagement, knowledge exchange and research networking.

Brian Bartolo’s conference participation and travel were facilitated through arrangements associated with his IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) award recognition.

FiR.mt acknowledges the support of the European Union, Xjenza Malta, IEEE PES and TyphoonHIL, together with the collaboration of the GIANTS consortium partners and the wider international research community.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the granting authority. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.