Introduction to Digital Twins for the Smart Grid

TL;DR

This paper introduces digital twins as a vital technology for smart grids, highlighting their role in design, testing, and real-time operation to improve efficiency and safety in complex, autonomous systems.

Contribution

It presents an overview of digital twin technology tailored for smart grids, emphasizing their applications in simulation, testing, and operational decision-making.

Findings

Digital twins enable safe, cost-effective testing of smart grid components.

They facilitate real-time load balancing through simulation.

Digital twins are essential for managing complex, autonomous smart grid systems.

Abstract

This chapter provides an introduction to the foundations of digital twins and makes the case for employing them in smart grids. As engineered systems become more complex and autonomous, digital twin technology gains importance as the unified technological platform for design, testing, operation, and maintenance. Smart grids are prime examples of such complex systems, in which unique design and operation challenges arise from the combination of physical and software components. As high-fidelity in-silico replicas of physical components, digital twins provide safe and cost-efficient experimentation facilities in the design and verification phase of smart grids. In the operation phase of smart grids, digital twins enable automated load balancing of grids through real-time simulation and decision-making. These, and an array of similar benefits, position digital twins as crucial technological components in smart grids.