Geneva,
At the intersection of technological innovation and policy to accelerate the clean energy transition, UNECE has issued a compendium of case studies highlighting the potential of digital technologies and the related governance frameworks to address key challenges in the energy system.
Featuring selected case studies and providing examples of effective governance policies, the publication offers examples of the transformative power of digital technologies in the energy sector, from grid management and cybersecurity to the adoption of smart meters and artificial intelligence.
It bridges the gap between theoretical frameworks and real-world applications, highlighting the successful implementation of the policy recommendations from the UNECE Task Force on Digitalization in Energy in diverse geographic and socio-economic contexts.
Approaches to the global energy transition differ across regions and the case studies focus on:
- optimizing Distributed Energy Resources and improvement of demand-response mechanisms within decentralized data architecture in Australia
- using Artificial Intelligence for high-precision short-term electricity demand forecasting to avoid excessive energy generation and improve grid balancing in Canada
- matching electricity demand with renewable energy supply in the United Arab Emirates
- deploying digital platforms for trading locally-generated energy surpluses and reducing strain on centralized systems in Ireland
- introducing smart metering to monitor energy flow, ensuring billing accuracy, allowing rapid fault detection, and supporting dynamic pricing models for optimized energy use and reduced losses in the Republic of Moldova
- rolling out an innovative prosumer scheme to enable households to produce their own energy via solar panels while using the grid as a virtual battery for storage and distribution enabled by digital platforms in Lithuania
- reducing the energy system incident rate thus avoiding downtime and energy losses in the Russian Federation, and
- building resilience of critical energy infrastructure by addressing its cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the United States.
Compendium of Case Studies on Digitalization in Energy in UNECE Region
Published: January 2025
In 2023–2024, the Task Force on Digitalization in Energy developed national case studies aiming to raise awareness of UNECE member States about how digitalization can enhance energy system performance, expand access to energy, and address environmental, social, and economic challenges. This publication is the result of this research track of the Task Force.
Testing the UNECE policy recommendations on digitalization contained in the body of work of the Task Force, the publication focuses on the governance frameworks that are necessary to effectively manage digital transformations in energy and features case studies* on the following subjects:
- Governance policy of digitalization in energy (2024);
- Balancing the electricity supply and demand with Artificial Intelligence (2024);
- Grid edge management reference architecture and policy recommendations for interoperability and resilience (2023);
- Cyber resilience of critical energy infrastructure (2023);
- Behavioural barriers in adoption of smart meters (2024).
The publication concludes with a set of recommendations on governance policies, on interoperability and resilience, on the use of digital technologies for grid management and on digital transformation in the energy sectors other than electricity, on cybersecurity and cyber resilience of energy infrastructure, and on behavioural aspects in the context of adoption of digital technologies.
It serves as a valuable source of information for policymakers, energy professionals, and stakeholders involved in steering the energy sector towards a more digital, sustainable, and inclusive future.
* Accuracy of content is the sole responsibility of the authors.
Read the compendium
Source – UNECE: Download this publication