Why utility deployment of digital twin technology is speeding up

Drawing on insights gathered from Siemens and Bentley, Yusuf Latief writes on the deployment of digital twin technology by utilities to drive efficiencies.

The energy system needs to become digital. The efficiencies digitalisation offers for the energy transition are undeniable, whether in coordinating renewable generation or using big data to optimise operations and management across assets and sites.

One technology within the digital landscape, that of digital twins, has become readily recognised for its capability to provide asset owners an increased level of insight into their operations. And the extension of this to utilities and energy suppliers provides ground for an accelerated drive into a net zero future.

According to Bentley, whom I spoke to at DISTRIBUTECH earlier this year in San Diego, California, the tech provides a method of broadcasting operations whereas the past saw operations happening in silos.

Siemens shared the notion this week at Enlit Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, adding how the tech provides a “single entry point for all data” where interfaces can come together and enable speedier operations in an industry that has traditionally been slow.

Proof is in the pudding

According to Siemens’ Deon Henriksen, vice president of electrification and automation, the proof of value for digital twin tech comes into light considering how it can “make the lives of suppliers and utilities much easier.

“[It provides] high-level overview of assets across the field…making things easier for people to engage with.”

Henriksen illustrated this through an example of switchgear operations and buildings, where the technology’s benefits lie in providing near real-time insights into status and maintenance.

“Having these dashboards and being able to see very quickly what is happening out in the field makes things a lot easier. The digital substation can integrate switchgear, protection relays [etcetera] getting all this data into the cloud and logging from wherever the notification happens.”

An extension of the tech is that of an app, added Henriksen, that can allow operators to be guided along the best route while negating the need for teams on the ground to check and coordinate maintenance manually.

On a larger scale, this can come together in the form of digital twins of buildings. Put these together across sites and assets, the level of operations that can be evaluated in real-time by grid operators is something to write home.

Also of interest:
ASUMO to digitalise Spain’s substations with AI and digital twin tech
Gridspertise CEO highlights digital leapfrog opportunities for European DSOs

Utility deployment

This then begs the question of how, and where, utilities get involved in the technology.

According to Joe Travis, senior director of solutions engineering at Bentley, “utilities are generally slow to move and if you compare with other sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, or even automotive, a lot of utilities could move much faster – there could be an acceleration.”

And an acceleration there is.

Countries across Europe especially, as well as their respective utilities, have been showing increased interest in the technology; quite recently a digital twin was announced for the Welsh electricity system; in December last year, Europe’s transmission and distribution system operators, through their association ENTSO-E and EU DSO Entity, announced development of a digital twin for the European electricity grid.

Over in New South Wales, Australia, Essential Energy has been exploring feasibility of an intelligent digital design system, making use of one from Bentley to slash project design costs by 50%.

In Central China a pilot demonstration project for Wuhan to build a power grid, providing electricity for 200,000 residents in northern Wuchang, sought to implement lifecycle 3D digital workflows; the project needed an integrated technology solution, using digital design to reduce investment costs and the construction period.

The case for deployment, stated Travis, usually depends largely on how the specific utility – or utilities – operates, as well as their particular areas of investment. It comes down to segmentation, not only by sector, but also by geography.

For example, when asked about the difference in deployment of the tech by utilities in the European versus the North American space, Bentley’s Brett Willitt, senior director of grid integration, stated how it comes down to the way in which utilities choose to build, design and construct their networks.

“District heating specifically,“ stated Willit, “is an area where the digital twin is of relevance, especially in the European space. In the North American market, however, we’re only seeing that in the early stages.

“And this is only one area of segmentation; how people are using digital twins will always vary slightly.”

Added Travis: “Some are using IoT much more than others, which is what really brings the digital twin to life, because there’s then real time information that’s being fed into the tech. It’s not just static layers of CAD, GIS and photogrammetry.

Travis also referenced renewable wind generation as an example of the segmentation influencing deployment, “some of the windiest places on Earth are in northern Scotland. There is a tremendous amount of wind farms that are coming online, not only generating the power itself, but also potentially generating hydrogen.

“We also need to consider here that the energy crisis is much more intense in Europe than elsewhere, which necessitates this type of energy coming online more rapidly.

“So if, in this context, we can build a strong wind farm quicker, which can be enabled by tech such as the digital twin, we can get the power that’s generated through either wind or through hydrogen to the consumer faster. This leads to less dependency on some of the external factors that we’re having to deal with, especially in Europe.”