Simon Bennett, Director of Innovation and Incubation at AVEVA, in pursuit of groundbreaking ideas and technologies through research.
With constant stress plaguing the energy sector, gas price hikes and the turmoil resulting from global conflicts have reportedly “permanently damaged” some European countries’ energy industries.
Additionally, the recent increase in energy demand for data centers, catalyzed by the expanded use of artificial intelligence, is leading to an expected energy capacity shortage. A recent report estimated that the energy used in data centers that fuel cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence is expected to double by 2026, equaling as much energy use as the entire country of Japan.
But the energy sector isn’t only experiencing challenges when it comes to an increased global demand for energy. Logistical challenges driven by climate requirements, government responses to climate change and social pressures remain. Currently, the industry stands at a critical juncture, and it is clear there is an urgent need for transformative solutions that holistically address the web of challenges.
When we examine the root cause of many of the energy challenges we are facing, it is largely because the modern energy sector isn’t very modern at all.
In the U.S., most of the electrical grid was built in the 1960s and ’70s, and most of that critical infrastructure is approaching the end of its lifecycle. Worldwide, our grids have not been keeping pace with modern digitization trends and remain stuck in the past. Without a massive overhaul, aging grids will lead to more rolling blackouts and disrupt the world’s race to decarbonization.
Fully replacing the grid is no casual endeavor. According to a new report from BloombergNEF, at least $21.4 trillion needs to be invested in the electricity grid by 2050 to support a net-zero trajectory for the world.
Our current energy system analyzes industrial inputs and outputs in a very slow and siloed manner. For example, without increased digitization efforts, each wind turbine at a wind farm runs completely on its own. This means the turbine is not communicating with the network of other turbines and without real-time insights that may give early warning signs of damage or failure.
The energy sector needs a tool that provides a digital and virtual element for assessing the industry’s unique capabilities and architecture without an expensive investment in all-new infrastructure. The energy sector needs digital twin technology.
Due to their easy-to-introduce and cost-efficient nature, digital twins can help solve the energy sector’s unique challenges. The technology provides a real-time look at the energy grid by digitally depicting a physical environment such as a solar wind farm or green hydrogen manufacturing plant. Digital twins can not only create an exact digital representation of a physical environment but can replicate and simulate the processes taking place within that environment using advanced data analytics and AI projections.
This allows engineers greater visibility into where improvements can be made or how they can make a plan more efficient and sustainable, work better within a network of systems and so on. This means that digital twins can connect all aspects of the energy grid through a so-called “digital thread.”
This digital thread helps track all processes going on in an energy plant as it can process an amalgamation of structured (databases, spreadsheets, lists, data streams, 3D data) and unstructured data (documents, drawings, images, movies) and make sense of it.
Digital twins also open up possibilities for incremental infrastructure investments, prioritizing areas of highest need. The insights and projections that digital twins provide can help energy operators learn more about their systems and what is going to fail or need replacement first. Essentially, this takes all the guesswork out of modernizing the grid and gives clarity as to what needs to be handled first.
While a newer concept, some energy producers are already using digital twins to drive operational efficiency, cost savings and greater visibility, which in turn puts less strain on the grid.
E.ON, one of the world’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, collaborated with DNV to create a digital twin for their 110-kilovolt power transformers. This digital twin technology offers real-time insights into asset condition and performance, reducing operational costs and risks and enabling smarter asset management.
By utilizing a cloud-based platform, E.ON has centralized asset data for analysis, allowing a shift from reactive to predictive and risk-based management of their assets. This transformation has helped E.ON improve asset performance, drive down unplanned maintenance and ultimately reduce their carbon footprint by enhancing the efficiency of their energy infrastructure.
As another example, the Department of Water Resources in Gwinnett County, Georgia (a client of AVEVA) yielded marked improvements in efficient clean-water delivery and streamlined maintenance through digital twin implementations. They also used digital twins to reduce physical leaks at the water plant by looking at specific indications in the data to predict when and where leaks would take place.
These use cases underscore the transformative impact that digital twins have in driving cost savings and energy efficiency across diverse applications within the energy sector.
Digital twin technology serves as a first step for modernizing the energy grid and establishes a foundational layer for integrating more advanced technologies. The next step beyond digital twins is the expansion of the industrial metaverse, a highly immersive environment that blends the physical and digital realms, supporting seamless interaction and collaboration between people and data.
The same technology that powers online video game environments can be used for real-time collaboration in a 3D world across geographies and time zones. Its potential abounds, from enhanced safety in industrial settings and addressing the skills gap with virtual training to streamlining supply chains and more.
In the face of numerous energy challenges, digital twins offer an innovative solution, transforming our approach to efficiency, emissions reduction and decision-making within the sector. Amid the complexities of energy transitions, digital twins illuminate practical pathways, instilling confidence in a more efficient and enlightened future.
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