Enhanced Solar Photovoltaic System Management and Integration: The Digital Twin Concept

The rapid acceptance of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy across various countries has created a pressing need for more coordinated approaches to the sustainable monitoring and maintenance of these widely distributed installations. To address this challenge, several digitization architectures have been...

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Main Authors: Olufemi Olayiwola, Umit Cali, Miles Elsden, Poonam Yadav
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Solar
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9941/5/1/7
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author Olufemi Olayiwola
Umit Cali
Miles Elsden
Poonam Yadav
author_facet Olufemi Olayiwola
Umit Cali
Miles Elsden
Poonam Yadav
author_sort Olufemi Olayiwola
collection DOAJ
description The rapid acceptance of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy across various countries has created a pressing need for more coordinated approaches to the sustainable monitoring and maintenance of these widely distributed installations. To address this challenge, several digitization architectures have been proposed, with one of the most recently applied being the digital twin (DT) system architecture. DTs have proven effective in predictive maintenance, rapid prototyping, efficient manufacturing, and reliable system monitoring. However, while the DT concept is well established in fields like wind energy conversion and monitoring, its scope of implementation in PV remains quite limited. Additionally, the recent increased adoption of autonomous platforms, particularly robotics, has expanded the scope of PV management and revealed gaps in real-time monitoring needs. DT platforms can be redesigned to ease such applications and enable integration into the broader energy network. This work provides a system-level overview of current trends, challenges, and future opportunities for DTs within renewable energy systems, focusing on PV systems. It also highlights how advances in artificial intelligence (AI), the internet-of-Things (IoT), and autonomous systems can be leveraged to create a digitally connected energy infrastructure that supports sustainable energy supply and maintenance.
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spelling doaj-art-f9a37dee814f4e129042293e043fcb7f2025-08-20T02:43:03ZengMDPI AGSolar2673-99412025-03-0151710.3390/solar5010007Enhanced Solar Photovoltaic System Management and Integration: The Digital Twin ConceptOlufemi Olayiwola0Umit Cali1Miles Elsden2Poonam Yadav3Institute for Safe Autonomy, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UKSchool of Physics, Engineering and Technology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UKInstitute for Safe Autonomy, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UKInstitute for Safe Autonomy, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UKThe rapid acceptance of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy across various countries has created a pressing need for more coordinated approaches to the sustainable monitoring and maintenance of these widely distributed installations. To address this challenge, several digitization architectures have been proposed, with one of the most recently applied being the digital twin (DT) system architecture. DTs have proven effective in predictive maintenance, rapid prototyping, efficient manufacturing, and reliable system monitoring. However, while the DT concept is well established in fields like wind energy conversion and monitoring, its scope of implementation in PV remains quite limited. Additionally, the recent increased adoption of autonomous platforms, particularly robotics, has expanded the scope of PV management and revealed gaps in real-time monitoring needs. DT platforms can be redesigned to ease such applications and enable integration into the broader energy network. This work provides a system-level overview of current trends, challenges, and future opportunities for DTs within renewable energy systems, focusing on PV systems. It also highlights how advances in artificial intelligence (AI), the internet-of-Things (IoT), and autonomous systems can be leveraged to create a digitally connected energy infrastructure that supports sustainable energy supply and maintenance.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9941/5/1/7digital twinsolar photovoltaicsartificial intelligenceautonomous systemsrenewable energysustainable infrastructure
spellingShingle Olufemi Olayiwola
Umit Cali
Miles Elsden
Poonam Yadav
Enhanced Solar Photovoltaic System Management and Integration: The Digital Twin Concept
Solar
digital twin
solar photovoltaics
artificial intelligence
autonomous systems
renewable energy
sustainable infrastructure
title Enhanced Solar Photovoltaic System Management and Integration: The Digital Twin Concept
title_full Enhanced Solar Photovoltaic System Management and Integration: The Digital Twin Concept
title_fullStr Enhanced Solar Photovoltaic System Management and Integration: The Digital Twin Concept
title_full_unstemmed Enhanced Solar Photovoltaic System Management and Integration: The Digital Twin Concept
title_short Enhanced Solar Photovoltaic System Management and Integration: The Digital Twin Concept
title_sort enhanced solar photovoltaic system management and integration the digital twin concept
topic digital twin
solar photovoltaics
artificial intelligence
autonomous systems
renewable energy
sustainable infrastructure
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9941/5/1/7
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AT umitcali enhancedsolarphotovoltaicsystemmanagementandintegrationthedigitaltwinconcept
AT mileselsden enhancedsolarphotovoltaicsystemmanagementandintegrationthedigitaltwinconcept
AT poonamyadav enhancedsolarphotovoltaicsystemmanagementandintegrationthedigitaltwinconcept