Digital Twin
Some questions cannot be tested in live operation
New solutions for flexibility, energy sharing, and control affect the stability of the entire power system. Testing them live would pose a risk that no grid owner can take.
A digital twin makes it possible to understand, test, and control a complex power system – without risk in reality. For this reason, a national digital twin of the power system is being developed within Elflexibel Industri: EDiT, The Power System’s Digital Twin. The first version is scheduled to be operational during the autumn of 2027.
The twin will become a resource for realistic testing and validation of technical, market-related, and regulatory solutions – for the project’s demonstrations, and for Swedish research and development even after the project period has ended.
From measurement data to decision support
The twin is built in four stages, and each stage makes the next one possible.
– Gathers material from the preliminary study, case studies, partners, and industry
– Model library, communication and data platform, physical test infrastructure, and facilities
– Through calibration against real data and historical events, to ensure realism and reliability.
– The twin can be used by the industry to move from principles and agreements to actual prototypes and tests
Three types of questions get an answer
The opportunities available in a digitalized power system, with access to large amounts of data and controllable resources, are extensive. EDiT provides access to realistic testing and validation of solutions.
This drives both the implementation of innovative solutions and the development of regulatory frameworks within digitalization, technology, and the market, while also influencing standardization to ensure interoperability, cybersecurity, and accessibility.
What happens to the grid if many do the same thing?
How are stability, capacity, and power flows affected when several industries control their consumption at the same time? This can be examined at full scale in a model, but not in reality.
Does the business model hold up in practice?
Dynamic power agreements, compensation for flexibility, and energy sharing between companies are based on assumptions about how parties actually behave. In the twin, the outcome can be tested.
What would a different regulatory framework lead to?
The rules for energy and capacity sharing are under development. Being able to simulate the consequences of a regulatory change provides a basis for both authorities and legislators.
Used where it provides the most benefit
Several of the demonstrations will contribute to the work of developing realistic case studies that form the basis for the development of EDiT, while the individual industry or demonstration site uses the results for its own work toward an electrically flexible industry.
It is not a mandatory station that every solution must pass through, but a tool that is brought in when the question requires a system-wide perspective.
Built to last
The digital twin is an investment in infrastructure, not a project tool that is discontinued once the project ends.
Work on ownership, management, and continued funding is ongoing in parallel with development, with the goal that the twin will be accessible to Swedish research, industry, and system actors even after the project period has ended.
Questions about the digital twin?
The test environment is being developed for use by more than the project’s partners. Please feel free to get in touch with Hanna Askemar if you would like to know more about the work or about future opportunities.