Improving Transparency on Energy Transportation Losses through Digitalization Technologies

Preliminary version of the paper being submitted to the IEEE IT 2025 Conference. Energy loss in power distribution systems leads to significant economic and environmental impacts, with increased costs for consumers and reduced revenues for utilities.This paper introduces an innovative IoT-based system designed for the real-time monitoring and evaluation of energy losses within power distribution networks, enhancing transparency in monitoring processes. The IoT system employs an array of AC/VC sensors, temperature sensors, and a connected weather station to collect comprehensive data on electrical parameters and environmental conditions. Data is transmitted via WiFi to an ESP32 microcontroller, which consolidates and relays it through a LoRaWAN gateway using the LoRa protocol. After preprocessing in a middleware layer, the data is securely logged onto the IOTA Tangle. This decentralized, feeless distributed ledger technology (DLT) ensures data transparency, immutability, and security, allowing stakeholders to access and analyze energy loss data with confidence. By leveraging the scalable and cost effective nature of the IOTA Tangle, the system provides a viable solution for large-scale deployments. It enables utility providers to promptly identify and address energy loss hotspots, optimizing grid performance and reducing inefficiencies. The transparency facilitated by this system is crucial for building trust and accountability, enabling informed decision-making, and supporting the development of effective solutions to address energy losses. Experimental results underscore the systems effectiveness in enhancing grid management and transparency, making it a valuable tool for modern power distribution networks.