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A comprehensive academic and industrial survey of blockchain technology for the energy sector using fuzzy Einstein decision-making

Abstract

The global energy sector is undergoing a significant transformation driven by decarbonization and digitalization, leading to the emergence of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) — particularly blockchain — as a promising tool for enhancing transparency, security, and efficiency in modern power systems. This study aims to provide a comprehensive academic and industrial survey of blockchain applications in the energy sector and develop a robust decision-making framework to identify and prioritize the most promising real-world use cases based on multidisciplinary criteria. A three-stage methodology was adopted: (i) a literature and market review encompassing over 300 academic publications and commercial blockchain initiatives in energy, (ii) an in-depth evaluation of the evolution and viability of blockchain initiatives in energy with the help of expert surveys, and (iii) a novel decision-making model using a q-rung orthopair fuzzy Multi-Attributive Border Approximation (q-ROF-MABAC) method under the Einstein operator. The results were compared with existing decision models to validate consistency and robustness. Nine key blockchain use case categories were identified and ranked based on technical, economic, and governance dimensions. The results demonstrated that integrating expert insights into a fuzzy logic framework helps filter out overhyped claims in the literature and prioritize realistic and high-impact applications such as green certificates, grid services, and peer-to-peer energy trading. The model’s rankings remained stable across varying weight configurations, confirming the robustness of the methodology. This study provides an evidence-based decision-support tool for researchers, industry stakeholders, and policymakers to better understand, evaluate, and adopt blockchain technologies in the energy sector.
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Category

Academic literature review

Language

English

Author(s)

  • Umit Cali
  • Annabelle Lee
  • Berry Hayes
  • Claudio Lima
  • D. Jonathan Sebastian-Cardenas
  • David Flynn
  • Emre Kantar
  • Farrokh Rahimi
  • Kaung Si Thu
  • Marco Pasetti
  • Marthe Fogstad Dynge
  • Merlinda Andoni
  • Muhammet Deveci
  • Murat Kuzlu
  • Raquel Alonso Pedrero
  • Kim-Kwang Raymond Choo
  • Sambeet Mishra
  • Shammya Shananda Saha
  • Sonam Norbu
  • Srinikhil Gourisetti
  • Ugur Halden
  • Vahid Hosseinezhad
  • Valentin Robu

Affiliation

  • SINTEF Industry / Sustainable Energy Technology
  • SINTEF Energy Research / Elkraftteknologi
  • University College Cork
  • University of Brescia
  • Netherlands
  • University of Glasgow
  • University of York
  • Turkish Naval Academy
  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology
  • University of South-Eastern Norway
  • Western Caspian University
  • Korea University
  • Chulalongkorn University
  • USA
  • University of Texas at San Antonio
  • Old Dominion University
  • Electric Power Research Institute
  • Google

Year

2025

Published in

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

ISSN

1364-0321

Volume

222

View this publication at Norwegian Research Information Repository