Guidelines for Selecting Communication Technologies Between Power Electronic Converters and Their Digital Twins in Smart Grid Systems
Under fluctuating demand and distributed generation, smart-grid (SG) modernization depends on the reliability and efficiency of power electronic converters (PECs). However, PECs face operational stresses and gradual degradation, which compromise their performance. To address these challenges, digital twin (DT) technology is introduced as a virtual counterpart that interacts with the physical PEC, enabling real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and performance optimization. Numerous DT implementations for PECs have been reported, yet most focus on modeling/control, leaving communication requirements and technology selection underexplored. To address this gap, in this paper we first review existing DT realizations to identify their key communication requirements. Based on that research, we proposed a classification framework that links DT functionality to appropriate communication solutions and provided practical guidance for selecting the optimal technologies. These guidelines specify which communication technologies are most suitable for each DT category, which makes informed decision-making easier when DT-enabled PECs are used in modern smart grids.