Digital twin based microgrid control and energy management: Trends, challenges, and future directions

The rapid proliferation of distributed microgrids integrating renewables, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and electric vehicles (EVs) is reshaping modern power systems. Yet their distributed nature introduces significant challenges in monitoring, control, and energy management (EM), which are critical for stability, optimal operation, and planning. Digital twin (DT) technology offers strong potential in this context by mirroring a microgrid in a virtual environment and enabling operational services, including DER control integrated with EM. However, the absence of standardized frameworks and benchmarks hampers practical deployment and scalability. This work reviews DT-driven control and EM for microgrids, synthesizes current advances, and outlines key research directions. It further proposes a conceptual DT framework and presents a MATLAB/Simulink-based simulation variant to demonstrate feasibility. The results underscore DT’s promise for enhancing control and EM in renewable-dominated microgrids while highlighting the need for system-level, standards-aligned development. • Reviews digital-twin technologies for microgrid control and energy management. • Identifies key challenges in standardization, scalability, and system-level DT design. • Proposes a conceptual DT framework integrating forecasting, energy management, and control. • Demonstrates DT feasibility through a MATLAB/Simulink PV–BESS–EV microgrid model. • Highlights DT’s potential to enhance resilience, coordination, and operational efficiency.