Digital twins of the earth can take energy systems modeling to the next level

Digital twins of the Earth are an emerging field of research and development. Institutions like the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration have started ambitious initiatives to develop highly accurate digital replicas of the Earth system. These initiatives not only push the frontiers in global climate and weather modeling by making massive use of the largest supercomputers and AI but also set new standards in co-design and user engagement, allowing users to express needs and requirements right from the beginning of the developments. For the energy sector, Earth system digital twins bear great potential to overcome some of the major challenges in climate-energy modeling. In this perspective, we describe paths forward to bring the climate science and energy systems modeling communities closer together by leveraging the vast capabilities of Earth system digital twins, and we identify gaps, requirements, and recommendations for further developments.