Grid-to-Building Interactions through Digital Twin and OpenDSS Integration: Co-Simulation

This paper presents a grid-interactive microgrid simulation framework using OpenDSS, integrating real-time and historical data from a cluster of commercial and residential buildings with rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems. A high-fidelity digital twin model of a building, the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC), was co-simulated with the distribution network to capture dynamic power demand under realistic operating conditions. Other buildings in the network were modeled using aggregated historical load and PV data to reflect mixed-use consumption and generation patterns. The simulation evaluates power flow, voltage regulation, and energy export across the microgrid, demonstrating reduced grid dependency and enhanced reliability. While only the SBRC is currently modeled as a digital twin, the framework is designed to support future integration of additional building twins and bidirectional control strategies. This platform serves as a scalable testbed for distributed energy resource (DER) coordination, demand response, and grid-to-building interactions in sustainable urban energy systems.