EnergoBit is in the midst of an initiative to digitialize the energy infrastructure, and at the heart of this is the creation of a ‘Digital Twin’ model of power stations. The solution has been developed in partnership with German software manufacturer Primtech, explains Radu Tărău, CEO of EnergoBit Control Systems, “We started from problems and challenges: in the context of the shift from centralised generation to decentralised sources there is a huge need to expand and modernise the current grids” and there is a shortage of manpower.
The representative of EnergoBit invoked the “digital paradox”, that is, “the whole market is talking about digitalization, but the investments related to digitalization have not had the expected efficiency so far”. Radu Tărău claims that his team has managed to overcome this paradox and says that EnergoBit now has engineers ready to deliver and use the necessary tools both for the precise design of greenfield stations (designed from scratch) and for the digitalization of existing stations. “We offer grid operators a modern management and optimisation tool,” adds Radu Tărău.
The main reason for the initiative is therefore to adapt to the changes in the energy market, marked by the increasing number of decentralised energy sources and the difficulty in attracting and training specialised engineers. In the context of the challenges of human resources and the limitations of traditional digitalization, the digital model proposed by EnergoBit allows operators to approach the design and maintenance of electrical infrastructure more efficiently, with the possibility to create and manage 3D digital copies of substations.
This digital twin is achieved by accurately scanning and modelling the facilities, simultaneously integrating them with operator databases. Users thus benefit from an accurate digital asset inventory and a versatile tool for safety simulations, preventive maintenance and planning, as well as for rapid validation of design data. The 3D model, once produced, can speed up the design process by up to 20 times, significantly reduce the number of site visits and minimise execution errors. “We believe we can already deliver large-scale digitalization. In one year we can model up to 300 power stations and to which we can add the relevant components from databases that most asset owners already have,” Radu Tărău explained.
After years of the IT industry draining young labour from energy to programming, the trend may now be reversing. “The project has attracted the interest of young engineers due to the integration of VR and 3D elements, which offer them attractive opportunities in digital engineering,” insisted Radu Tărău.
He added that EnergoBit is continuously integrating feedback from partners to improve the digital model, adding new functionalities such as grid integration or GIS data to meet modern sustainability requirements. “We believe that any energy asset owner will benefit from utilising this type of service,” concluded the EnergoBit Control Systems representative.
EnergoBit’s ‘Digital Twin’ model of substations is the affordable answer to support the accelerated modernisation of power grids to similar standards of quality and operability to those implemented elsewhere in Europe.