- The Energy System Digital Twin (ENSIGN) project will create a digital twin of future multi-vector energy networks to inform the drive towards 2050 net zero emissions.
- The insights from this project should be necessary for shaping the future of energy systems in the UK and globally.
The Energy System Digital Twin (ENSIGN) project will create a digital twin of future multi-vector energy networks to inform the drive towards 2050 net zero emissions. The project, which has received industry and government funding of almost £10 million (US$12.4 million), is aimed to deliver new knowledge to the complexities and challenges of integrating the variety of renewable resources, decarbonised loads and non-electrical energy vectors that will feature in the future to meet net-zero objectives in a system that is both reliable and resilient as well as affordable.
These include wind, solar at both utility and local scales, tidal, geothermal and hydrogen, plus electrified transport and heating. As such, the insights from this project should be necessary for shaping the future of energy systems in the UK and elsewhere. Scott Mathieson, Network Planning and Regulation director at SP Energy Networks, explained The pace of change in the energy industry is like nothing we’ve ever seen, so we must stress-test tech and services before they launch publicly.”
James Yu, Head of Innovation at SP Energy Networks and the industry leader in the project partnership, says that teamwork plays a vital role. Alongside SP Energy Networks and the University of Strathclyde, other partners include the University of Glasgow, the University of St Andrews and Heriot-Watt University, UK Power Networks, D’Arcy Thompson Simulator Centre, National Grid Electricity Transmission and the National HVDC Centre.
More than 20 new academic research jobs and PhD positions are anticipated to emerge in the project, integrating real-time modelling, artificial intelligence and machine learning into the digital twin. The ENSIGN project is being funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s Prosperity Partnership Fund, which brings together businesses and academia with matched funding from SP Energy Networks and contributions from other partners.