EquiWatt - A blockchain based sustainable product service system model for equity, trust and participation in distributed renewable energy systems

In response to the urgent energy and equity challenges faced by decentralized communities, this thesis explores the strategic incorporation of blockchain technology within Sustainable Product-Service System (S.PSS) models to improve governance, distribution, and trust in Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) systems. By linking the fields of sustainable system design, digital infrastructure, and energy innovation, the study presents EquiWatt a blockchain-based S.PSS model aimed at enabling inclusive, transparent, and participatory energy ecosystems. This study adopts a multimethod approach covering a review of related literature, system design, stakeholder engagement, and service blueprinting. Through these steps, EquiWatt is created as a multi-layered service architecture integrating smart contracts, energy tokenization, and decentralized governance (DAO); it can serve different user groups residential users and prosumers, community institutions, and grid-less participants while ensuring affordability, access, and localized energy trade. Analysis is carried out from both the socio-technical and service design perspectives, showing how digital infrastructures support participatory and fair energy practices. Focus is given to issues like energy poverty, lack of trust in central systems, and infrastructural leave-out. Therefore, this study underlines the urgent need for design-led innovation and blockchain interoperability to enable robust, user-centric energy models. This thesis answers the main research question: how can blockchain be leveraged to improve the governance and distribution of energy within Distributed Renewable Energy Systems in Sustainable Product-Service System models so as to foster trust, participation, and equity? It also reflects on such model scalability and its digital inclusion, and sustainable development implications. This work will ultimately contribute to academic discourse by integrating systemic design, the logic of blockchain, and sustainability transitions. It shall provide a practical design framework and an empirical foundation for future investigations in decentralized, democratic, and inclusive energy systems.