Virtualizing power systems: how digital twins will revolutionize the energy sector

Digital twins in the energy sector are digital – and often real time – representations of the physical grid assets. The new IEC White Paper on Virtualizing power systems: how digital twins will revolutionize the energy sector focuses on the benefits digital twins can bring. Effective use of digital twin technologies can help grid planners and grid operators manage their systems efficiently, helping them overcome infrastructural challenges. This also enables industry to meet net-zero goals by helping planners monitor and identify design alternatives to reduce carbon emissions. The paper highlights the growing importance of digital twins as we grow into a more connected society, with different sectors having to work closely with each other to leverage synergies. Addressing challenges in such an implementation, the paper recommends among other solutions, the adoption of core standards for describing underlying data models, and to create secure open data exchange policies. The recommendations provide tangible actions that government agencies, standards bodies, and digital twin stakeholders can take to unlock the potential of digital twin technologies and their revolutionary impact on the energy sector of the future. This white paper has been prepared by a project team representing a variety of organizations, working under the IEC Market Strategy Board ( MSB ). The project team included representatives from electrical power network businesses, standards organizations, and equipment vendors from around the world. IEC MSB members Dr Hiroshi Okamoto, TEPCO Power Grid, Inc., and Dr Maurizio Bragagni, Tratos, Ltd., served as project sponsors. Dr Scott Coe, GridOptimize, served as coordinating author and project partner. This IEC White Paper is available for free download .