Towards Automated Co-Simulation of Multi-Energy-Systems: an Ontology-Driven Approach

Multi-Energy-System (MES) integrates diverse energy carriers, digital networks, and human interactions, requiring accurate simulations for efficient urban energy management. Coupled Simulation (Co-Simulation) enables complex systems like MESs to be simulated as a whole by linking and coordinating their individual sub-modules. Current co-simulation approaches face major challenges: connecting heterogeneous models and preparing input data often demand significant manual effort and domain expertise. Most frameworks provide technical interoperability but cannot fully capture each model’s data requirements and interfaces, limiting automation, scalability, and reproducibility. To address these limitations, we present COSIMO, a framework that organizes models, technologies, parameters, and their interconnections in a structured format that software tools can interpret automatically. COSIMO streamlines the creation and management of co-simulation setups, supporting scalable and reproducible urban energy simulations. We demonstrate its effectiveness through scenarios from neighborhood to large urban districts—including photovoltaic systems, battery storage, and occupancy-driven loads—showing improved interoperability, reproducibility, and seamless integration of diverse models and data.