Energy metaverse: the conceptual framework with a review of the state-of-the-art methods and technologies

Abstract The transition to green energy systems is vital for addressing climate change, with a focus on renewable sources like wind and solar. This change requires substantial investment, societal adaptations, and managing a complex energy ecosystem. However, no existing evaluation methods support this purpose. The "energy metaverse" is proposed as a digital platform that mirrors the energy ecosystem, enabling the design, trial, and assessment of new technologies, business models, and value chains before real-world deployment. Drawing from State-of-the-Art technologies and methodologies, this paper introduces a conceptual framework for the energy metaverse, comprising five essential components: a versatile energy ecosystem data space, an interoperable virtual ecosystem living lab, an energy system models and artificial intelligent algorithms sandbox, a circular value chain co-design toolbox, and an ecosystem lifecycle evaluation software tool. This paper also suggests specific methods and technologies to develop each of these five components of the energy metaverse.