Digital Twins: Predicting the Future of Climate Change

Let’s start from the beginning. A digital twin, at its core, is exactly what it sounds like – a non-physical replica of something physical. 

Eva Carranza, Head of ESG and Sustainability at Hexagon, sums it up: “A digital twin is a precise digital representation of the physical world that uses dynamic data to simulate, analyse, monitor and optimise performance. You could create a digital twin of an entire city, an aeroplane engine or a tiny screw.

“They are used to run risk-free simulations to boost efficiency, productivity, quality and safety across industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, public sector and mobility applications - ensuring a scalable, sustainable future.”

The original case comes out of NASA – a digital twin was created of the Apollo 13 spaceship that allowed engineers to simulate possible scenarios without risking the lives of astronauts. 

Now, the opportunities that digital twins present are exponential and exploration of the technology hand in hand with AI presents real potential for sustainability applications.

“The fidelity (level of detail) and currency (how up to date) of digital twins can vary, depending on the requirement,” Bill Wilson, Chief Environmental Sustainability Officer and Head of Data & Intelligence Solutions at NTT DATA UK, says.

“Moreover, digital twins can also vary in scope from a single component to a complex system of systems. A key requirement is that digital twins can freely exchange data between the physical and virtual worlds.

“This means that a change in the physical world is reflected in the digital world and often a change in the digital world can be pushed back to the physical world e.g. through electrical actuators.

“Because the physical world is complex with different ownership models, Digital Twins can be linked. The UK’s ‘National Digital Twin’ was not intended as a single platform therefore but a (nascent) network of twins. NTT DATA’s Digital Twin Computing vision supports such a vision, allowing digital twins to inter-operate and therefore create an autonomous society.”

How can digital twins be used in sustainability?

A key use case for digital twins in sustainability is increasing efficiency to reduce emissions and waste in various industrial processes. 

“In digital twin sustainability use cases we are typically trying to mitigate climate change by saving energy or managing devices that consume energy to do it when renewable energy is available,” explains Bill, outlining a series of possibilities for the technology, including:

• Understanding when renewable energy assets should be deployed
• Testing new machine configurations without expending energy and effort in physically trying them out
• Maintaining equipment when it needs to be maintained, rather than wasteful periodic servicing. Cost-wise, predictive maintenance is 8-12% cheaper than periodic maintenance and 40% cheaper than reactive maintenance
• Powering down equipment when not needed

In his role as CEO at Industry IoT, Daniel Phillips specialises in the creation and development of ecosystems for knowledge sharing and collaboration. 

“Digital twins play a significant role in promoting sustainability in a variety of ways,” he says.

“Some of the key areas I see through the lens of our community here at Industry IoT include supply chain management, where digital twins provide increased transparency and real-time insights through the supply chain network. Predictive maintenance is another one – by creating digital replicas of physical assets like machinery or infrastructure, companies can predict maintenance needs more accurately.

“In renewable energy integration too, digital twins can simulate the integration of renewable energy sources like solar and wind power for example, and help optimise the deployment of these resources.”

For example, NTT Data has partnered with climate tech start-up Eoliann to use a digital twin to simulate flood risks using data visualisation. This helps build data-driven climate resilience into financial, economic and social decision-making.

The opportunities in a closed loop

“Where Digital Twins become powerful is where there is a closed loop,” says Bill.

In a closed loop the digital twin sets a condition which, when met, triggers an action.

“The most obvious is a smart building where occupation sensors can be harnessed to power down lighting, heating, wifi and to avoid cleaning areas that have not been used,” Bill explains.

“In more advanced scenarios whole cities can start to be optimised. Our partner Geospock produced a real-time traffic visualisation solution for the city of Singapore. Our smart taxi solution directs taxis to where they are most likely to be needed, reducing tailpipe emissions. 

“We are also working with a multinational telco to detect unusual power spikes in equipment (e.g. indicating that cooling equipment has failed) and generate alarms before significant power is wasted.”

What are the challenges?

“Often, the main challenge is adoption,” Eva says.

“Many industries are used to working in a specific way, so they are resistant to transitioning from their legacy systems. Awareness and training are important, but so is simplifying the user experience and functionality of the digital twin to maximise return on investment (ROI) and sustainable outcomes.

“Another challenge is during the implementation phase. Building a digital twin usually requires using technologies from various vendors – if they don’t communicate the same language, then designing and building it could take longer and can cost more.

“This is why we are part of the Alliance for OpenUSD along with companies like NVIDIA and Apple. OpenUSD is an open standard language for 3D modelling which makes sure all digital twin tech is speaking the same language.

“However, despite these challenges, integrating digital twins into sustainability initiatives presents a promising pathway for addressing challenges facing businesses and communities.”

Daniel agrees: “Like all technologies, digital twins offer numerous benefits, but they also come with certain challenges, some of which include complexity and scalability. Building and maintaining digital twins for large-scale systems or complex processes can be intricate and resource-intensive. 

“Security and privacy also present a big challenge – digital twins involve the collection, storage, and analysis of sensitive data. Protecting this data from cybersecurity threats and ensuring compliance with privacy regulations is critical.

“Cost and ROI is also a factor. Implementing and maintaining digital twin initiatives can be costly, including investment in the technology, infrastructure and expertise. Demonstrating the return on investment and quantifying the tangible benefits of digital twins for sustainability goals can be challenging.”

What is the future of digital twin technology in sustainability?

Whilst the current benefits of digital twin technology in sustainability are allowing increased efficiency, safety and decision-making, it works hand in hand with other technologies – as things like AI develop, digital twins do too.

“The standout potential from my perspective is optimisation – optimising resource efficiency, asset optimisation and smart supply chain management,” says Daniel. 

“Simulation and visualisation technologies will also support more informed decision-making. As these technologies continue to evolve and mature, their role in advancing sustainability goals will grow.”

Eva agrees – “Sensor technology is becoming increasingly accessible, so new use cases are emerging.”

“One example is virtual tourism. Digital twins will enable us to explore landmarks and wander through the streets of an entire city. For example, Hexagon technology was used to bring medieval Florence back to life. The project created virtual replicas of the city’s historical landmarks to produce an immersive new way to explore Florence in the past, preserving them for future generations.

“Digital twins are also giving rise to smart cities of the future. They will help planners make urban areas more liveable, accessible, efficient, and resilient.

“Soon we will even have digital twins of entire countries. Tuvalu in Polynesia, Germany, Singapore and Greece are all racing to build these. They will facilitate better planning and decision-making, especially when developing sustainable solutions for complex problems.”

As technology develops, digital twins grow beside them – and so does the opportunity to use them to boost sustainability, and get us closer to reducing global warming. 

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