Digital Twins, Industry 4.0 and Energy Management

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a call for papers for a Special Issue focusing on "Digital Twins, Industry 4.0, and Energy Management" in Energies, an open access journal committed to innovative research across various domains of energy.

While Industry 4.0 and digital twin technologies have made significant strides in the manufacturing and building sectors, their application in the field of energy remains underexplored. This Special Issue aims to bridge this gap and present comprehensive insights into the intersection of digital twin technology, Industry 4.0, and energy management. Considering the global emphasis on sustainable energy transition and decarbonisation, there is a compelling need to understand how these digital technologies can contribute to more efficient and sustainable energy systems. This Special Issue aims to fill this research gap and aligns with the commitment of Energies to publishing detailed experimental, numerical, and theoretical work.

Aim of the Special Issue

The objective of this Special Issue is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental, numerical, and theoretical results that demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of digital twin and Industry 4.0 technologies in the realm of energy management. The goal is to offer a thorough understanding of how these technologies can be applied to optimise energy use, reduce emissions, and facilitate the transition to renewable energy sources.

Scope of the Topic

The scope of this Special Issue includes but is not limited to:

• Digital twins in the design and control of energy systems;
• Industry 4.0 technologies for smart grids and microgrids;
• Energy and emission reductions through digital twin applications;
• Optimisation of energy usage in the context of Industry 4.0;
• Real-time monitoring and control systems in energy management;
• Energy efficiency and decarbonisation strategies enabled by digital technologies;
• Applications across the product or asset life cycle, especially focusing on design and operation phases;
• Case studies on the integration of Industry 4.0 and digital twins in various energy sectors;
• Edge-based digital twinning techniques;
• Cybersecurity challenges and solutions in digital twin applications.

We invite submissions of your manuscripts to this Special Issue. Further guidelines for submission can be found on the Energies website.

We look forward to your contributions.

Dr. Hongwei Zhang
Dr. Augustine Ikpehai
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• energy digital twins
• industry 4.0
• energy management
• sustainability
• cybersecurity