Stirling and Clackmannanshire digital twin sets road to carbon-neutral future

Glaswegian climate tech firm IES has created a digital twin of the Stirling and Clackmannanshire region in Scotland to help achieve carbon neutrality.

Every building in the region, spanning 2,413 square kilometres, has been modelled in the virtual 3D replica.

The digital twin allows users to test, model, and refine different parameters in real time. For the buildings, factors include energy usage, renewable energy generation, and heat networks.

The simulation then presents the carbon emissions produced by the energy used to heat and power the region’s domestic and non-domestic buildings – taking in other factors that would affect the result such as building fabrics and heating systems, to fuel types and usages.

Covering energy efficiency, heat management, and energy generation, the area’s ‘Regional Energy Masterplan’ spans four stages between 2023 and 2045.

The digital model found that low-carbon energy systems should be deployed across the area to create the most effective results from economic, environmental, and social sustainability perspectives.

It discovered that emissions can be reduced by 98% by 2045, when compared to a 2022 baseline, through such actions and projects.

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“By creating a digital twin of the entire Stirling and Clackmannanshire region, we can see how things are actually working in practice and identify what could be done to make the biggest impact in the most efficient way,” says Craig McKendrick, public sector lead at IES.

“It also helps us to model a range of prospective scenarios, identifying potential risks and barriers that could crop up along the journey to 2045.”

Stirling council leader, Chris Kane, added: “By transforming our energy use and generation we can protect the natural environment for future generations, reduce fuel poverty and create new skilled jobs in a growing sector.

“Our road map to achieving these ambitions is the Regional Energy Masterplan. The importance of collaboration at the core of the plan and working with IES has enhanced our understanding of regional energy consumption on our journey to creating a net-zero energy system.”

The digital twin remains live and will be utilised as an ongoing resource for the councils to test future scenarios and access the data they need.