Visualising the carbon hot spots in major infrastructure

Climate change requires us to rethink how we design, build and operate infrastructure. Which is why we developed a digital twin to help clients, designers and constructors do just that.

An astounding 75% of all the infrastructure that will exist in 2050 has not yet been built. Constructing and operating infrastructure is carbon intensive. So all that additional, new infrastructure will have a profound impact on our climate and the quality of life of future generations – unless we can dramatically and rapidly reduce emissions.

That is why we developed Carbon Twin, a digital twin platform for modelling infrastructure emissions.

Carbon Twin was first built for the Kidston Pumped Hydro Energy Storage project in Queensland, Australia. It has helped our client, their investors, our design team and supply chain partners to understand carbon and discuss how emissions can be reduced in future stages of this project, as well as new projects.

A digital twin is defined as a virtual representation of an object or asset, with two-way data flows between the two. Twins can span the lifecycle of the assets they represent, adding value throughout. And this is what Carbon Twin has set out to do.

At the heart of the Kidston Carbon Twin was the project’s building information model (BIM). Using our digital carbon modelling solution, Moata Carbon Portal, we assigned emissions values to all the materials, equipment and components represented in the model. That included emissions associated with extraction, manufacturing and transport to site, construction equipment and processes, and personnel.

It allowed users to track and compare emissions at different design stages without the need for specialist carbon knowledge.

Data is displayed graphically, for example through heat maps. This enabled the whole project team to visualise carbon hot spots across the Kidston project’s 20+ design packages. It was comparatively easy for designers to see the impacts of each design change, rapidly developing and reviewing options. It facilitated discussion of the carbon impacts of alternative solutions with the contractor, suppliers and manufacturers. And it allowed users to track and compare emissions at different design stages without the need for specialist carbon knowledge, driving emissions reductions as the design advanced towards construction.

Once the Kidston pumped hydro scheme enters operation, the twin can be used to track operational energy use and energy generation. This will give a picture of whole life emissions.

Carbon savings are often closely matched by an equal reduction in project cost.

Carbon savings are often closely matched by reductions in project cost due to reduced materials and construction time. Recent case studies show that assessing embodied emissions in the early stages of a project routinely cut carbon by a tenth to a third compared to baseline data. Some clients are achieving carbon savings of over 60% across large capital investment programmes.

Cutting emissions saves on the cost of offsetting carbon. Carbon Twin includes data on current and projected future carbon offsetting costs, allowing clients and investors to assess the financial implications of offsetting project emissions.

Several European countries have implemented whole-of-life emissions legislation with many other countries, including Australia, signalling interest in doing the same. It is important that the cost and time saving benefits of carbon reduction are recognised. Tools such as the Carbon Twin can help.

For most major projects now, BIM is integral to design. Carbon Twin demonstrates how these information-rich models can be augmented to add greater value.

Industry collaboration and cross sector engagement are required to continue driving emissions reductions. That includes the way we calculate and communicate the carbon intensity of projects, which in turn can be used to innovate and advance industry practices.

The data generated on Kidston has provided a benchmark for the development of designs for several new hydropower projects. New Carbon Twins for projects in different sectors have been developed from the Kidston twin.
Carbon Twin will continue to evolve to meet future project needs, raising the bar for whole life carbon and cost performance, project by project.

• Find out more about Carbon Twin
• Lindsay shared the team’s experience and insight with the members of the hydropower industry in a paper titled ‘Carbon digital twins – how Kidston’s carbon data is changing the way we design and construct’. It won the prestigious 2023 Young Professionals Best Paper Award from the Australian National Committee on Large Dams.