Microgrids are deployed to reduce purchased grid energy, limit exposure to volatile tariffs, and ensure service continuity during disturbances. This requires coordinating heterogeneous distributed energy resources across multiple time scales and under variable conditions. Among existing tools, typically, power-system simulators capture physical behaviour but assume centralized control, while multi-agent frameworks model decentralized decision-making but represent energy with no physical grounding. In this context, the EnergyTwin is introduced, an agent-based microgrid simulation environment that couples physically grounded models with forecast-informed, rolling-horizon planning, and negotiations. Each asset is modeled as an agent, interacting with a central agent that obtains forecasts, formulates predictions, and allocates energy through contract-based interactions. EnergyTwin targets tertiary-layer decision making and is extensible for digital-twin use. Its feasibility was evaluated in a university campus microgrid scenario where multiple planning strategies were compared. Achieved results show that forecast-driven rolling-horizon planning increases local energy self-sufficiency, maintains higher battery reserves, and reduces exposure to low-resilience operating states. They demonstrate also potential of EnergyTwin as platform supporting research on resilient, negotiation-driven microgrids.

Supply chain and manufacturing environments are evolving rapidly in the face of industry 4.0 advancements and the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations across industries are trying to navigate this challenging landscape and implement technologies, processes, and operations that help them connect all the different components that make up their business. Ronald van Loon is a SAP partner and had the opportunity to discuss the state of supply chain and manufacturing industry 4.0 in the SAP webinar "Digital Supply Chain: Industry 4.0." Ronald also sat down with Tom Raftery, Global VP, Futurist, and Innovation Evangelist at SAP, and was interviewed in a podcast about the latest challenges, developments, and trends in supply chain industry 4.0. Building the right digital and data-driven foundation is crucial for industry 4.0 developments.

As we look ahead to 2020, it's time to embrace the fact that traditional project planning tools must evolve to meet the changing needs of planners and help them work smarter, not harder. Today's advanced planning solutions that incorporate both artificial and human intelligence enable planners to work more efficiently and create more achievable plans. The current state of project planning needs an overhaul, and I believe it should be in the form of what's called predictive planning. Think about it: You don't have to do things like manually check your Word document for spelling errors, explicitly type an entire recipient's email address, or calculate the miles of a trip every time, do you? That's because today's computers can store and, more importantly, recall knowledge.