The electricity industry has always maintained a close relationship with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Over time, this interaction has expanded significantly with the transition toward the development of smart power grids. In addition to being essential and highly effective throughout the electricity generation, transmission, and distribution chain, these technologies have synergized with operational technologies (OT) in shaping the structure and functionality of power grid control and management. Together, they have contributed to the development of an integrated power grid infrastructure and provided the foundations required for automation, real-time monitoring, adaptive control, and integrated power grid management.
With the advancement of transformative technologies, the proliferation of IP-based smart devices, the transition toward smart electricity grids, and the emergence of concepts such as digital transformation and the Fourth and Fifth Industrial Revolutions, the role of information and communication technologies in the stability, security, efficiency, and resilience of power grids has become increasingly prominent and critical.
The Information and Communication Technology Research Group, leveraging its extensive expertise in ICT, provides the necessary platform at the Niroo Research Institute (NRI) for the definition, management, and implementation of large-scale projects and initiatives required by the country’s electricity industry.
Like other specialized research groups at the Niroo Research Institute, this group is responsible for conducting long-term and pioneering studies in the electricity industry, including policy research, futures studies, technology foresight, and proof-of-concept projects in the field of information and communication technologies. These projects are carried out in collaboration with universities and other research institutions across the country.