DNV, the independent energy expert and assurance provider, examined how digital twins can support the U.K.’s net-zero objectives in a report, emphasizing the critical role of industry collaboration and trust in ensuring the substantial contribution of digital twins to the energy transition.
This report includes interviews with regulators, asset owners, consultancies, and government innovation agencies, revealing crucial insights into the U.K.’s path to net zero. The report, Connected Digital Twin Insights, explores the opportunities, benefits, barriers, and risks of connected digital twins in the U.K. energy sector and looks for the answer to a fundamental question: “How can I trust my digital twin?”
The UK’s first Energy Digitalization Strategy outlined the necessity of a digitized energy system, as intelligent data-based systems can accommodate the influx of millions of new energy flows per second from emerging low-carbon technologies that will be connected to the grid in coming years.
With the country’s energy CAPEX expected to rise (as projected in DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook U.K. 2024, digitalization offers cost-saving opportunities through smarter energy management, against a backdrop of volatility, unpredictability, and complexity. However, trust in the technology and data integrity is vital for the successful adoption of digital twins, with cyber security being a significant concern.
The report recommends creating a National Digital Twin to simulate and interconnect assets, processes, and systems – underscoring the need for trust and collaboration across the sector, essential for effective data sharing and integration.
“The U.K. energy sector stands on the brink of a remarkable transformation, leading us to an unprecedented level of interactivity and interconnectivity. Technologies like connected digital twins will underpin this transformation; the question becomes one of how the sector can harness their potential and add new impetus into the U.K.’s stalling energy transition,” said Hari Vamadevan, senior vice president and regional director, U.K. & Ireland, Energy Systems.
“Collaborations in data sharing will play a pivotal role in realizing the benefits of connected digital twins, therefore enabling the role they can plan in transforming the future energy system,” said Justin Anderson, Digital Twin Hub director at Connected Places Catapult.
More info www.dnv.com
