Digital Twins and Cyber–Physical Systems for a Sustainable Energy Transition
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 22
Special Issue Editors
Interests: modeling and digital control of power converter; stability analysis; EV charging system; renewable power generation systems
Interests: cyber–physical systems; modeling and control of distributed microgrid systems; multi-agent systems; digital twin; network attack; stability analysis
Interests: DC-DC converter; hierarchical control; power transfer; stability of system; DC/AC microgrid; droop control; electric vehicles; electric vehicle charging; energy storage system; battery management systems
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The global transition to sustainable energy is inseparable from a profound digital transformation. This Special Issue, titled “Digital Twins and Cyber–Physical Systems for a Sustainable Energy Transition”, will highlight the convergence of these two transformative technologies. Digital twins provide dynamic virtual representations of physical energy assets, enabling advanced simulation, prognostics, and data-driven insights. When integrated with cyber–physical systems (CPSs), which couple computation and communication with physical processes, they establish intelligent and autonomous control loops. This synergy is essential for addressing the complexity, intermittency, and decentralization introduced by renewable energy sources and power electronics-dominated systems.
We invite high-quality research that explores the integration of digital twins and CPSs within the energy domain. Core topics include scalable architectures for digital twins, physics-informed and data-driven modeling, AI-enhanced control and optimization, and robust, resilient strategies for converter-dominated grids. Application areas span distributed microgrids, virtual power plants, multi-agent system coordination, stability and fault management, predictive maintenance, and cybersecurity frameworks for energy networks. This issue aims to accelerate the development of intelligent, secure, and resilient digital infrastructures that support the energy transition.
Key areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Architectures and development of digital twins for distributed and renewable energy systems.
- High-fidelity, physics-informed, and reduced-order models for power converters, battery storage, wind turbines, and other components.
- AI, machine learning, and data-driven techniques for forecasting, parameter identification, and model reduction in digital twins.
- Digital twin-enabled control and robust strategies for power converters in grid-forming, grid-following, and protection schemes.
- Multi-agent system architectures for decentralized control, decision-making, and collaborative optimization.
- Real-time optimization and energy management systems for microgrids and virtual power plants.
- Stability assessment, fault prediction, and islanding operations in microgrids.
- Autonomous and self-healing control strategies for power electronics-dominated systems based on CPS.
- Predictive maintenance and performance optimization for renewable energy sources and DERs.
- Cybersecurity frameworks, intrusion detection, and resilience validation against cyber–physical threats and component failures.
Dr. Muhammad Talib Faiz
Dr. Zahoor Ahmed
Dr. Muhammad Mansoor Khan
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
- cyber–physical systems
- digital twins
- sustainable energy transition
- distributed microgrids
- modeling and simulation of distributed energy systems (DERs)
- power electronics converter control
- robust and resilient control of distributed systems
- cybersecurity
- network attacks
- resilience
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
