POWERING THE ENERGY SYSTEM THROUGH DIGITAL TWINS: IN WALES AND BEYOND

Carolina Tortora, Head of Digital Transformation and Innovation Strategy at ESO

How to best power a future decarbonised energy system in the most effective way possible is one of the major challenges for reaching net-zero. But how can we successfully consider the whole electricity system, coordinate flexibility, and manage connections for a future decarbonised network?

One answer is through digitalisation and creating digital twins of existing energy assets.

The ESO is leading the way in this space through the Virtual Energy System initiative, which aims to create a realtime digital replica of Great Britain’s entire energy landscape. Made up of interoperable digital twins securely sharing information, it will drive energy innovation and advance sustainability progress.

Taking a lead at a national level, the Welsh Government has recently consulted on increasing the bold targets it set in 2017 to meet 70% of its electricity requirements from Welsh renewable energy sources by 2030.

To support this goal, the ESO is partnering with the Welsh Government, global IT and business consulting firm CGI, National Grid Electricity Distribution and National Grid Electricity Transmission to create a digital twin of Wales’ electricity system to drive progress and support citizens and communities with a clean energy transition. CGI will be providing technical expertise and developing the intelligent modelling solutions for the project.

Powering Wales

Through the Powering Wales

Renewably project, we will work together and identify priorities for progressing Wales’ pioneering decarbonisation plans, increasing renewable electricity hosting capacity, and delivering net benefits to Welsh communities. The project is a fantastic opportunity to accelerate the deployment of renewables and unlock whole system benefits, working with industry partners to further enable Net Zero in Wales.

This initiative will sit as one of the use case projects of the Virtual Energy System and is funded by the Strategic Innovation Fund, a programme from the UK’s independent energy regulator Ofgem managed in partnership with Innovate UK. The project has been awarded funding for the Discovery phase, which will establish the project’s challenges and aims. So how can digital twin technology help transform Wales’ energy system?

Complete Visibility

Digital twin technology can provide a whole-system view of the country’s electricity transmission and distribution network. This system will help partners identify how networks can enable greater use of renewable energy from a whole electricity system perspective, seeking to accelerate the Welsh Government’s objective of generating enough renewable energy to meet the needs of Wales. Having complete visibility of current network status will also enable coordination across transmission and distribution networks, allowing system operators to manage capacity efficiency in a way they have never been able to before. By delivering a capacity management tool, digital twin technology will enable a better understanding of the bi-directional relationship between various options in the whole system and different types of low-carbon technology solutions.

Flexibility

Digital twins can also help deliver a coordination interface for flexibility markets, where power is bought and sold to meet demand, which will in turn optimise network operators’ flexibility requirements across multiple trading platforms and response providers. This allows operators to significantly cut consumers’ costs, creating a win-win situation for operators and customers across Wales.

Better Coordination

By creating one combined national whole electricity system network model, digital twins will deliver the capability to coordinate information from different energy models being used by various response providers. This will advance the ESO’s existing energy initiatives by considering the benefits that may be available from increased coordination in the definition of dependent constraints, the aggregated response required by the networks, and how such a requirement is secured with access across all available markets.

Moreover, digitalisation facilitates new distributed energy resource site identification and connection, allowing decision-makers to set priorities, support progress, and enable network change through stakeholder collaboration. This will help address local needs by enabling home-produced, low-cost renewable electricity generation.

Improved Performance

Digital twin technology has the ability to capture and monitor the real-time state of a physical object’s functions. This allows operators and engineers to predict how changing conditions will impact the object’s production or performance. With this information, system operators can answer questions about specific processes and test which method proves to be the most efficient.

The Future Of Energy

As the energy sector continues to shift to a digital mindset, companies and nations that embrace digital transformation will have a massive advantage. Leveraging digital twins specifically will help add value, resilience, and efficiency to operating and business models.

By digitalising Wales’ energy system, networks will have the capability to identify priorities for progressing the country’s decarbonisation plans, increasing renewable electricity hosting capacity, and delivering net benefits to Welsh citizens and communities.

Visit here for more information about the Powering Wales Renewably project: https://www.ukri.org/news/ funding-announced-for-53-newelectricity-and-gas-network-projects/

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