For more than 15 years, we have been developing digital twins that connect the physical behavior of energy systems to control software. This allows energy management algorithms to be tested in a closed control loop: the simulated system provides measurement signals to the controller, whose outputs in turn affect the system model. This development is the result of years of collaboration among our colleagues.
Testing Control Logic Before Commissioning
The interaction of battery storage, photovoltaics, heat pumps, chillers, EV chargers, and flexible consumers places high demands on control strategies. A digital system model enables reproducible tests of PLC software, control logic, and energy management algorithms before deployment to a real installation. Edge cases and fault scenarios can also be investigated without exposing real equipment to these operating conditions.
A Green City Library example demonstrates this approach for battery control. Virtual sensor signals such as PV power, consumer demand, and state of charge provide the basis for testing battery operation, load management, and PV utilization strategies and detecting control errors early.
The test setup is described in “Testing PLC Logic Using a Digital Twin”.