Improving transparency on energy systems through digitalization technologies

The DIGEST project participates in the Conference on Information Technology 2025 with the paper «Improving Transparency in Energy Transportation Losses through Digitalization Technologies».

This paper has a significant alignment with the project DIGEST. Precisely, the core objectives of the research point to enhance transparency in energy loss monitoring by means of IoT, DLT, and advanced data analytics, which are directly linked to the main target of DIGEST-data-driven decision-making in smart grid optimization.

It proposes an IoT-based system for real-time energy loss monitoring, integrating sensors, LoRaWAN communication, and IOTA Tangle DLT to enhance data transparency and trust. Both the paper and the DIGEST project emphasize the role of digital transformation in improving transparency and efficiency in energy systems. The paper proposes a real-time IoT-based system that integrates LoRaWAN, sensor networks, and IOTA Tangle distributed ledger technology (DLT) to track and verify energy transportation losses. This aligns closely with DIGEST’s mission, which seeks to enhance decision-making in energy systems through data-driven approaches, digital tools, and smart grid innovations.

While the paper focuses specifically on transparency in energy transmission losses, DIGEST has a broader perspective, aiming to improve decision-support mechanisms for sustainable energy transition, including monitoring, optimization, and strategic planning. The study’s emphasis on tamper-proof, verifiable energy loss records resonates well with DIGEST’s goal of enhancing traceability and accountability in digitalized energy infrastructures. The proposed system in the paper integrates IoT devices and sensor networks to collect real-time electrical and environmental parameters (e.g., voltage, current, temperature, and humidity). The architecture is designed to detect anomalies, optimize performance, and prevent inefficiencies in power distribution. This approach strongly aligns with DIGEST’s smart grid and sensor network applications, where data acquisition, analysis, and decision support are critical components. This emphasis on transparency, traceability, and decentralized data management rhymes with the research priorities of DIGEST.

One of the standout contributions of the paper is the integration of IOTA Tangle, a lightweight distributed ledger technology, to secure and validate energy loss data. The use of DLT ensures decentralization, transparency, and tamper-proof records, which is particularly valuable for regulatory bodies and energy stakeholders. DIGEST also recognizes the importance of trust and security in energy systems, especially concerning data sharing, governance, and compliance with regulatory frameworks.

While the paper successfully demonstrates the feasibility of using IOTA Tangle for energy data integrity, DIGEST takes a more holistic approach by considering other blockchain and DLT implementations, data sovereignty challenges, and the role of energy markets in distributed energy resource (DER) management. Therefore, a potential synergy between the two approaches would be an evaluation of different DLT frameworks, including Ethereum-based smart contracts, Hyperledger, or private blockchain solutions, to complement the IOTA approach.

Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and Blockchain 4.0 are deeply interconnected, as blockchain is a specific implementation of DLT. While DLT encompasses all distributed record-keeping technologies, Blockchain 4.0 represents the latest evolution of blockchain, incorporating advanced scalability, interoperability, and smart automation.

Both initiatives stress the transition toward smart, digitalized, highly automated energy infrastructures. From this, the paper deduces that such might be a panacea for regulatory and operational inefficiencies, as DIGEST tries to do in providing policy insights and technology frameworks toward modernizing the energy systems.

Read the full paper: Improving Transparency on Energy Transportation Losses through Digitalization Technologies