Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TWINVEST (Universal, open-source and cybersecure Digital Twin to provide investors in onshore wind farms valuable insights about current operations and future investments.)
Reporting period: 2024-07-01 to 2025-12-31
The TWINVEST Project emerges in response to the growing imperative for regional innovation strategies that align with Europe's twin transitions—green and digital—while enhancing social cohesion and territorial resilience. A key strategic focus is the acceleration of sustainable energy transitions, with a particular emphasis on the expansion of offshore wind energy as a cornerstone of the EU's Green Deal and energy security strategies. Offshore wind presents both a major opportunity and a complex challenge. While it is essential for achieving climate neutrality and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, its deployment must be managed in a way that ensures social acceptance, minimizes environmental impact, and maximizes regional economic benefits. TWINVEST aims to address these challenges by supporting regional innovation ecosystems that are capable of co-developing place-sensitive, inclusive solutions for offshore wind integration. The core objective is to design and implement "Transformative Innovation Policies" that leverage both scientific expertise and local knowledge to build resilient, equitable, and innovation-driven regions. By fostering experimental governance and participatory decision-making, TWINVEST empowers regions to shape their own pathways toward a just and green transition. Expected impacts include:
- Strengthened institutional capacities to manage complex innovations like offshore wind.
- Improved inclusion of local communities and stakeholders in innovation governance.
- Scalable models for regional innovation that can inform EU-wide energy and cohesion policies.
- Practical tools and policy frameworks for integrating offshore wind development into broader regional innovation agendas.
- Strengthened institutional capacities to manage complex innovations like offshore wind.
- Improved inclusion of local communities and stakeholders in innovation governance.
- Scalable models for regional innovation that can inform EU-wide energy and cohesion policies.
- Practical tools and policy frameworks for integrating offshore wind development into broader regional innovation agendas.
The TWINVEST Project aims to develop a universal, open-source, and cybersecure Digital Twin to provide onshore wind farm investors with insights into operations and future investments. Spanning 42 months, the project unfolds in three stages: developing AI-based forecasting and monitoring models, integrating these into an interoperable Digital Twin, and validating the system with real wind farms and investment feasibility studies. TWINVEST’s technical work is organized into several work packages. It starts by gathering end-user requirements and defining both physical and virtual use cases. The architecture includes cybersecurity protocols and data modeling standards. A framework platform evaluates investment conditions like energy demand, pricing, grid capabilities, and storage needs. Another platform models turbine components and designs reliable wind farms using both bottom-up and top-down methods. Environmental modeling focuses on forecasting energy production using weather and spatial data, while a maintenance and risk platform optimizes OPEX through predictive maintenance and risk management. All components are integrated into a user-friendly, interoperable Digital Twin, validated through real-world and simulated use cases. Key achievements include a robust Digital Twin architecture, advanced modeling tools, and predictive methodologies for maintenance and investment planning. TWINVEST’s validated system demonstrates its value in enhancing operational efficiency and guiding investment decisions. A roadmap will ensure continued development beyond the project’s duration.
The results of the TWINVEST Project have the potential to significantly impact the wind energy sector by providing a comprehensive tool for investors to make informed decisions about current operations and future investments. The Digital Twin helps optimize energy production, reduce operational costs, and improve the overall efficiency of wind farms. To ensure further uptake and success, several aspects needs must be addressed, including further research and demonstration, access to markets and finance, commercialization, IPR support, internationalization, and a supportive regulatory and standardization framework. Further research and demonstration are needed to continue improving the accuracy and reliability of the Digital Twin models. Access to markets and finance is crucial for the widespread adoption of the Digital Twin technology. Commercialization efforts should focus on developing business models that make the Digital Twin accessible to a wide range of stakeholders. IPR support is necessary to protect the intellectual property developed during the project and ensure that it can be effectively commercialized. Internationalization efforts should aim to expand the use of the Digital Twin beyond Europe, leveraging global markets and opportunities. A supportive regulatory and standardization framework is essential to ensure that the Digital Twin technology can be seamlessly integrated into existing wind energy systems and operations. Overall, the TWINVEST Project makes significant strides in developing a comprehensive Digital Twin for the wind energy sector, providing valuable insights for investors and optimizing wind farm operations. The continued success and uptake of the Digital Twin technology depend on addressing key needs and challenges, ensuring that it can be effectively commercialized and adopted by a wide range of stakeholders.