Review on Development of Digital Twins for Predicting, Mitigating Faults and Defects in Solar Plants

Abstract – The thought of digital twins has gained substantial attention in recent years due to its potential to transform various industries, including renewable energy. Digital twins involve the creation of virtual models that mirror the behaviour and characteristics of real-world physical systems. In the perspective of solar plants, digital twins have emerged as a promising tool to enhance performance monitoring, predictive maintenance, and overall operational efficiency. Digital twin engineering, characterized by its dynamic data modelling of industrial assets, offers a disruptive technology capable of adapting to real-time changes in the environment and operations. This living model can predict future infrastructure behaviour and proactively identify potential issues within the physical system. The article highlights the essential components of the digital twin ecosystem, such as sensor technologies, the Industrial Internet of Things, simulation, modelling, and machine learning, underscoring their relevance in predictive maintenance applications. This review provides an in-extensive review of the development and application of digital twins for predicting and mitigating faults and defects in solar power plants. It opens with a look at current developments, underlining the rising focus on digital twins for optimizing solar farms. It begins with an overview of existing solutions in the field, highlighting the growing interest in leveraging digital twin technology to enhance solar plant operations. Additionally, the article outlines the implementation stage of a prototype digital twin for a solar power plant.