Blockchain in the Energy Sector for SDG Achievement
Matteo Vaccargiu, Andrea Pinna, Roberto Tonelli, Luisanna Cocco
Abstract
Blockchain technology finds application in multiple sectors, including renewable energy. Numerous blockchain-based applications aim to provide support in the production, management, distribution, and consumption of green energy. The benefits offered are not only technological but also social, environmental, and economic. The purpose of this study is to examine how the application of blockchain in the energy industry may affect the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study is composed of two parts. The first part concerns the identification and analysis of the most relevant categories of blockchain applications in the energy sector and their ability to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. A knowledge base, comprising scientific articles, gray literature, and real-world applications, has been created and analyzed. With a keyword-based approach, each application was associated with one or more SDGs. In the second part, the Sustainability Awareness Framework (SuSAF) was used to examine the findings of the first part of the study and discuss them in terms of five dimensions of sustainability. Finally, potential risks associated with the use of blockchain in the energy sector are also covered. Results reveal that tracking energy production and consumption and renewable energy communities are the applications that have the most beneficial effects, and that the benefits linked to blockchain adoption go beyond the energy sector to include the environment, the economy, industry, infrastructure, smart cities, and society.