Digital Duplicates Paving the Way for Sustainable Energy's Progress
In the rapidly evolving world of renewable energy, digital twin technology is making a significant impact. This innovative technology, which creates real-time virtual replicas of physical energy assets, is revolutionising the way we manage and optimise renewable energy systems.
PTC Inc., a global software company specialising in digital twin technology, has been at the forefront of this revolution. Their digital twins have been successfully implemented across the renewable energy sector, including by major players like ENGIE, EDF, and Howden.
Renewable energy, zero-emission green energy extracted from environmental sources such as the weather and geographic location, is set to dominate the power, heat, and transport sectors. By 2030, renewable energy consumption is forecasted to increase by about 60% compared to 2024 levels. The most prominent examples of renewable energy sources are solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass energy.
Digital twins play a crucial role in this transition. By collecting data from onsite sensors, these models reproduce the operations of the physical system in a virtual setting. This allows for the simulation and prediction of system behaviour, enabling performance optimisation, predictive maintenance, and the integration of renewable sources into existing energy grids.
However, challenges remain. Digital twins struggle to precisely model biomass conversion and biological, biochemical, and thermochemical processes in biomass energy systems. Similarly, the challenge with digital twins in geothermal energy is the limited availability of high-quality data, which hinders the technology's ability to simulate geological uncertainties and conditions below the Earth's surface.
Despite these challenges, digital twins offer numerous benefits. In wind farms, for instance, they analyse turbine performance and weather patterns to increase energy capture while minimising downtime. In solar systems, they monitor panel efficiency and forecast energy output to guide adjustments. Furthermore, digital twins facilitate smoother integration of intermittent renewable energy into grids, helping maintain stable and efficient supply.
PTC has been addressing these challenges by developing advanced technologies such as the ServiceMax AI, which aims to help organisations modernise their workflows and field service technicians get more work done in less time. The company has also expanded its collaboration with NVIDIA by announcing the integration of NVIDIA Omniverse technologies into Creo and Windchill. This integration is expected to help companies improve product quality, accelerate development, and collaborate more effectively on complex products across their entire lifecycle.
In the third fiscal quarter of 2025, PTC reported a 14% growth in operating and free cash flow, coming in at $850 million. This growth underscores the potential of digital twin technology in maximising efficiency, forecasting, and system integration in renewable energy systems.
However, the adoption of digital twin technology is hindered by data availability challenges, managing complex modeling environments, and building cost-effective, scalable solutions. To fully exploit digital twins for renewable energy, ongoing research emphasises improving data acquisition, refining modeling methods, and enhancing AI capabilities to generate more reliable and actionable insights.
In conclusion, digital twin technology is transforming renewable energy by enhancing system understanding, boosting efficiency through predictive analytics, and supporting the clean energy transition—though technical and data-related challenges must be addressed to unlock its full potential.
- Digital twin technology, such as that offered by PTC Inc., is making a significant impact in various sectors of the renewable-energy industry, including solar and wind systems, by optimising performance, enabling predictive maintenance, and enhancing integration into existing energy grids.
- The finance sector is recognising the potential of digital twins, as demonstrated by PTC's 14% growth in operating and free cash flow in the third fiscal quarter of 2025, attributable in part to the efficiency gains provided by digital twin technology in renewable energy systems.
- As digital twin technology matures, companies like PTC are investing in advanced technologies to overcome challenges in biomass conversion, geothermal energy simulations, and data management, ultimately aiming to maximise the positive environmental impact of renewable energy while minimising the costs associated with system maintenance and grid integration.
