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How Digital Twins make Energy Consumption more intelligent

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Industrial Responsibility in the Age of the Energy Transition

Industrial electricity consumption is enormous, energy costs are high, and the consequences for our climate are negative. This could improve in the future if intelligent tools are implemented to make energy consumption more flexible and to focus more on the integration of renewable energies. With the EU project Flex4Fact, the Steinbeis Europa Zentrum and 22 other European partners are developing a potential scenario for a solution. The project focuses on the dynamic adaptation of production processes to the availability of renewable energies, while simultaneously integrating on-site energy generation and storage.

Flex4Fact Architecture – Digital Twinning to real industry

 

Why Flexibility in Industry Is More Than Just a Technical Buzzword

Industry is one of the largest energy consumers worldwide, with far-reaching consequences. High electricity costs, volatile energy prices, and a carbon footprint that negatively impacts our climate. At the same time, companies are expected to produce more sustainably, remain competitive, and adapt to an increasingly volatile energy landscape. This is where energy flexibility comes into play.

Energy flexibility describes the ability of an industrial system to dynamically adjust its energy consumption to external conditions, such as the availability of renewable energies or current electricity prices. Production processes can be flexibly adapted to optimally utilise affordable or particularly green energy.

This day-to-day dynamism is crucial, as renewable energies such as wind and solar are naturally variable. If companies flexibly link their production to these conditions, they can not only save costs but also actively contribute to grid stability and increase the share of renewables in the overall system. This form of flexibility is not only ecologically sensible but is also becoming increasingly economically attractive: by participating in so-called flexibility markets, companies can monetise their adaptability.

Flexibility, therefore, does not mean that production suffers, but rather that it becomes smarter. This is made possible by digital tools, real-time data, AI-based forecasts, and automated control systems. This is precisely where Flex4Fact comes in: the EU project is developing an entire ecosystem of digital solutions to help companies make their processes flexible, sustainable, and economically viable. Autonomisation thus does not begin with the machine – but with the decision of when and how to produce. Nor does it end with electricity consumption, but with a new understanding of industrial responsibility in the age of the energy transition.

The Digital Twin: From Virtual Model to Real Decision-Making Aid

A central component of Flex4Fact is the digital twin. This is a virtual representation of a real production process, fed with real-time data, enabling simulations, forecasts, and optimisations. In the project’s five pilot factories – THEBEN, CELSA, SPS, SEAC SUB, and INAVENTA SOLAR – digital twins have been developed for production lines, energy systems, and even individual machines. These twins help to visualise energy flows, predict load peaks, and control production processes so that they consume as little electricity as possible or are deliberately run when a large amount of renewable energy is available.

Digital twins thus serve as decision-making aids for energy management: they indicate when it is economically sensible to draw energy from the grid, when to use self-generated energy, and when participation in the flexibility market is possible. They are therefore not only a technical tool but also a strategic instrument for the sustainable transformation of industry.

The Architecture Behind Autonomisation: Modular, Scalable, Networked

For all this to work, a well-thought-out technical foundation is required. Flex4Fact has developed a modular system architecture consisting of four levels:

  1. Smart Grid Level: Interaction with the electricity grid and external flexibility services.
  2. Aggregator Level: Connection to energy communities and markets.
  3. Physical Level: Production facilities, local energy generation (e.g. PV), and storage.
  4. Digital Twins: Simulation, optimisation, visualisation.
  5. Data Infrastructure: Sensors, interfaces, data structures, and storage.
  6. Management Level: Energy and production management.

This architecture is scalable and replicable – it can therefore be transferred to other factories and sectors. It is also open to extensions: new technologies such as AI, edge computing, or blockchain can be integrated without difficulty.

Autonomisation in Practice: How Flex4Fact Is Transforming Industry

Flexibility is not an end in itself – it must be worthwhile. That is why Flex4Fact demonstrates very concretely how digital tools can be used in practice. In the five pilot applications, different scenarios were tested:

All these applications show: autonomisation is more than automation. It is about making decisions based on data and dynamically – and in doing so, uniting ecological and economic objectives.

The Real Added Value: Lower Emissions, Reduced Costs, New Business Models

Autonomisation pays off – both ecologically and economically.

Steinbeis Europa Zentrum plays a decisive role in the Flex4Fact project as a strategic partner, supporting the development of viable business models to bring the project solutions to market. It promotes collaboration between industrial, commercial, and private stakeholders, disseminates results, and ensures the project’s scalability across Europe. With its expertise, Steinbeis enables the implementation of innovative tools into practical, sustainable applications that benefit both industry and energy systems. Flex4Fact demonstrates: the digital twin is not an end in itself, but a tool that creates real benefits. The autonomisation of industrial processes is the key to a sustainable, competitive, and resilient European industry.

Flex4Fact at a Glance