Starting on 01.04.2023, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies (FEEIT) from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, together with the Innovation Center in Nis, Serbia and the Serbian company Alfaklima begins working on the project “IoT SOLTRACK: IoT for mobile solar photovoltaic tracking”. The IoT SOLTRACK project is funded by the 3rd call for Cross-Domain Technology Transfer Experiments of the H2020 project SMART4ALL, which aims to improve the knowledge and technology transfer capacities between the academic sector and industry of different European institutions, through the realization of cross-border experiments.
The goal of the IoT SOLTRACK project is the development and testing of a prototype for a foldable and mobile photovoltaic battery system, designed to be applicable for supplying electrically autonomous systems. Throughout the duration of the project, FEEIT will transfer its know-how, technology and experience in the field of IoT to the Innovation Center in Nis, which already has a track record of integrating technology from the mechanical engineering field for commercial use. The SME Alfaklima, which works on design and production for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, has an interest in using the technology developed within the project, and will use its experience and capacity to establish the manufacturing of the developed product.
The potential application of the product is in the agricultural sector, especially in areas where farmers have no access to the power distribution network needed to supply electric water pumps and other electricity demand. The agricultural sector is recognized as a key domain in the Smart Specialization Strategies of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Serbia, while at the level of the European Union (EU) it generates a GVA of about 186.49 billion dollars and contributes about 1.3% to EU’s GDP.
