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Digital Twinning of Energy and Thermal Systems for Urban Sustainability
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Digital Twinning of Energy and Thermal Systems for Urban Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 10057

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chew Beng Soh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Building Services) Program, Engineering Cluster, Singapore Institute of Technology, 10 Dover Drive, Singapore 138683, Singapore
Interests: applied research work in relation to the built environment; the modelling of energy system using OPAL RT system for microgrid setups; microgrid digital twin development for effective energy management and deployment; the smart distributed ess management application for fire hazard mitigation under hot–humid climatic conditions with an AI degradation study for lithium–ion batteries; the modelling of urban farming modular structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Aung Myat

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering and Technology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA
Interests: building energy management; combined heat and power (thermal components); optimizing HVAC system; desalination; HVAC system for indoor farming; waste heat recovery from power plants; global warming and GHGs emissions; passive cooling system; hybrid cooling; Artificial Intelligence algorithm for energy efficiency and SMART control for the built environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wei Feng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of EEE, Singapore Polytechnic, 500 Dover Rd, Singapore 139651, Singapore
Interests: smart grid and renewable energy; deep learning and its application to smart grids; modelling and control of battery energy storage system; health prognosis and degradation prediction in smart grids; power quality assessment and improvement; power electronics control and application; wireless charging technology and V2G development; modern motor drive; electric power for internet of things (IOT); digital twin

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid urbanization places a greater strain on the existing infrastructure, which requires better planning and execution to meet such demands. As part of decarbonization initiatives, transport systems are being electrified, and buildings are becoming more grid-interactive.

This Special Issue on the Digital Twinning of Energy and Thermal Systems for Urban Sustainability aims to use digital modelling of electrical, mechanical and thermal systems/assets in buildings, which contribute to cooling/ heating loads, as well as examine how the modelled renewable energy systems can be integrated with the grid to meet such load demands. Furthermore, it examines how energy management and building management systems can be integrated into urban settings to efficiently control, predict, and forecast load demands based on accurate data collection of environmental weather conditions, human occupancy level and types of activities in the building envelopes. This is crucial for sustainable living in an urban context. Embracing digital twin technology with engineering data at its core will support engineers/asset managers in obtaining better control over their assets and better end-to-end insights.

By using control algorithms and machine learning to analyze historical load demand trends, the action taken in response to these recommendations will ensure sustainable performance improvements in buildings operating in the urban context.

Original research articles and reviews are welcome in this Special Issue. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

(i) The implementation of digital twin solutions to enhance buildings performance in built environments;

(ii) Modelling of renewable energy sources to meet the load demands of buildings;

(iii) Development of twin models of existing infrastructure and assets for predictive and preventive maintenance;

(iv) Initiative of digital twin residential, industrial or campus models for the optimization of resource generation to meet load demands;

(v) Use of Artificial Intelligence algorithm for energy efficiency and SMART control for the built environments;

(vi) Development of physics and AI hybrid models for built environments;

(vii) Prognosis and degradation prediction of grid and renewable assets.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Chew Beng Soh
Dr. Aung Myat
Dr. Wei Feng
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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.

Keywords

  • digital twin
  • sustainability
  • AI/ML and hybrid models
  • renewable energy systems
  • grid-interactive buildings
  • IoT
  • digital transformation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3183 KiB  
Article
Determine the Profiles of Power Consumption in Commercial Buildings in a Very Hot Humid Climate Using a Temporary Series
by E. Catalina Vallejo-Coral, Ricardo Garzón, Miguel Darío Ortega López, Javier Martínez-Gómez and Marcelo Moya
Sustainability 2024, 16(22), 9770; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229770 - 8 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1121
Abstract
With the growth of the nations, the commercial and public services sectors have recently seen an increase in their electricity usage. This demonstrates how crucial it is to understand a building’s behavior in order to lower its usage. This requires on-site data collection [...] Read more.
With the growth of the nations, the commercial and public services sectors have recently seen an increase in their electricity usage. This demonstrates how crucial it is to understand a building’s behavior in order to lower its usage. This requires on-site data collection by qualified professionals and specialized equipment, which represents high costs. However, multiple studies have demonstrated that it is possible to find electricity-saving strategies from the study of electricity usage, recorded in an hourly period or less, captured by smart meters. In this context, the present study applies a methodology to determine useful information on the operation and characteristics of public buildings on the Ecuadorian coast based on the data gathered over a period of five consecutive months from smart meters. The methodology consists of four steps: (1) data cleaning and filling, (2) time-series decomposition, (3) the generation of consumption profile and (4) the identification of the temperature influence. According to the results, the pre-cooling of spaces accounts for 5% of all electricity used in the commercial buildings, while prolonged shutdown uses 10%. Approximately USD 1100 per month would be spent on the main building and USD 78 on the agency as a result. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Twinning of Energy and Thermal Systems for Urban Sustainability)
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24 pages, 18262 KiB  
Article
GIS-Based Digital Twin Model for Solar Radiation Mapping to Support Sustainable Urban Agriculture Design
by Matteo Clementi, Valentina Dessì, Giulio Maria Podestà, Szu-Cheng Chien, Barbara Ang Ting Wei and Elena Lucchi
Sustainability 2024, 16(15), 6590; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156590 - 1 Aug 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2332
Abstract
The integration of urban agriculture into cityscapes necessitates a comprehensive understanding of multiple engineering and environmental factors, including urban fabric, building configurations, and dynamic energy and material flows. In contrast to rural settings, urban areas introduce complexities such as hygrothermal fluctuations, variable sunlight [...] Read more.
The integration of urban agriculture into cityscapes necessitates a comprehensive understanding of multiple engineering and environmental factors, including urban fabric, building configurations, and dynamic energy and material flows. In contrast to rural settings, urban areas introduce complexities such as hygrothermal fluctuations, variable sunlight exposure and shadow patterns, diverse plant dimensions and shapes, and material interception. To address these challenges, this study presents an open-source Digital Twin model based on the use of a geographical information system (GIS) for near-real-time solar radiation mapping. This methodology aims to optimize crop productivity, enhance resilience, and promote environmental sustainability within urban areas and enables the near-time mapping of the salient features of different portions of the city using available open data. The work is structured into two main parts: (i) definition of the GIS-based Digital Twin model for mapping microclimatic variables (in particular solar radiation) to support sustainable urban agriculture design and (ii) application of the model to the city of Milan to verify its replicability and effectiveness. The key findings are connected to the possibility to integrate open data (solar radiation) with measurements in situ (illuminance and data referred to the specific crops, with related conversion coefficient) to develop a set of maps helpful for urban farmers but also for designers dealing with the synergy between buildings and urban farms. Initially tested on a neighborhood of Milan (Italy), the model will be applied in the Singapore context to verify analogies and differences. This correlation facilitates a more practical and straightforward examination of the relationships between solar irradiation and illuminance values of natural sunlight (involving both incident and diffuse light). The consistency of measurements allows for the precise documentation of these fluctuations, thereby enhancing the understanding of the influence of solar radiation on perceived luminance levels, particularly in urban environments characterized by diverse contextual factors such as vegetation, nearby structures, and geographical positioning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Twinning of Energy and Thermal Systems for Urban Sustainability)
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29 pages, 11423 KiB  
Article
Digital Twin Technology in the Gas Industry: A Comparative Simulation Study
by Jaeseok Yun, Sungyeon Kim and Jinmin Kim
Sustainability 2024, 16(14), 5864; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16145864 - 10 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3286
Abstract
Continuous innovation is essential in the urban gas industry to achieve the stability of energy supply and sustainability. The continuous increase in the global demand for energy indicates that the urban gas industry plays a crucial role in terms of stability, the economy, [...] Read more.
Continuous innovation is essential in the urban gas industry to achieve the stability of energy supply and sustainability. The continuous increase in the global demand for energy indicates that the urban gas industry plays a crucial role in terms of stability, the economy, and the environmental friendliness of the energy supply. However, price volatility, supply chain complexity, and strengthened environmental regulations are certain challenges faced by this industry. In this study, we intend to overcome these challenges by elucidating the application of digital twin technology and by improving the performance of the prediction models in the gas industry. The real-time data and simulation-based predictions of pressure fluctuations were integrated in terms of pressure control equipment. We determined the contribution of this data integration to enhancing the operational efficiency, safety, and sustainable development in the gas industry. The summary of the results highlights the superior predictive performance of the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model. It exhibited the best performance across all evaluation indices—mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), root mean square error (RMSE), and the coefficient of determination (R2)—when compared with the raw data. Specifically, the ARIMA model demonstrated the lowest RMSE value of 0.01575, the lowest MAPE value of 0.00609, and the highest R2 value of 0.94993 among the models evaluated. This indicates that the ARIMA model outperformed the other models in accurately predicting the outcomes. These findings validate that the integration of digital twin technology and prediction models can innovatively improve the maintenance strategy, operational efficiency, and risk prediction in the gas industry. Predictive maintenance models can help prevent significant industrial risks, such as gas leak accidents. Moreover, the integration of digital twin technology and predictive maintenance models can significantly enhance the safety and sustainability in the gas industry. The proposed innovative method of implementing digital twin technology and improved prediction models lays a theoretical foundation for sustainable development that can be applied to other industries with high energy consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Twinning of Energy and Thermal Systems for Urban Sustainability)
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23 pages, 14337 KiB  
Article
Digital Twin of Microgrid for Predictive Power Control to Buildings
by Hao Jiang, Rudy Tjandra, Chew Beng Soh, Shuyu Cao, Donny Cheng Lock Soh, Kuan Tak Tan, King Jet Tseng and Sivaneasan Bala Krishnan
Sustainability 2024, 16(2), 482; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020482 - 5 Jan 2024
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2282
Abstract
The increased focus on sustainability in response to climate change has given rise to many new initiatives to meet the rise in building load demand. The concept of distributed energy resources (DER) and optimal control of supply to meet power demands in buildings [...] Read more.
The increased focus on sustainability in response to climate change has given rise to many new initiatives to meet the rise in building load demand. The concept of distributed energy resources (DER) and optimal control of supply to meet power demands in buildings have resulted in growing interest to adopt microgrids for a precinct or a university campus. In this paper, a model for an actual physical microgrid has been constructed in OPAL-RT for real-time simulation studies. The load demands for SIT@NYP campus and its weather data are collected to serve as input to run on the digital twin model of DERs of the microgrid. The dynamic response of the microgrid model in response to fluctuations in power generation due to intermittent solar PV generation and load demands are examined via real-time simulation studies and compared with the response of the physical assets. It is observed that the simulation results match closely to the performance of the actual physical asset. As such, the developed microgrid model offers plug-and-play capability, which will allow power providers to better plan for on-site deployment of renewable energy sources and energy storage to match the expected building energy demand. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Twinning of Energy and Thermal Systems for Urban Sustainability)
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