A Sustainability Assessment of a Blockchain-Secured Solar Energy Logger for Edge IoT Environments

Javad Vasheghani Farahani and Horst Treiblmaier ()
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Javad Vasheghani Farahani: School of International Management, Modul University Vienna, 1190 Vienna, Austria
Horst Treiblmaier: School of International Management, Modul University Vienna, 1190 Vienna, Austria

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-31

Abstract: In this paper, we design, implement, and empirically evaluate a tamper-evident, blockchain-secured solar energy logging system for resource-constrained edge Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Using a Merkle tree batching approach in conjunction with threshold-triggered blockchain anchoring, the system combines high-frequency local logging with energy-efficient, cryptographically verifiable submissions to the Ethereum Sepolia testnet, a public Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchain. The logger captured and hashed cryptographic chains on a minute-by-minute basis during a continuous 135 h deployment on a Raspberry Pi equipped with an INA219 sensor. Thanks to effective retrial and daily rollover mechanisms, it committed 130 verified Merkle batches to the blockchain without any data loss or unverifiable records, even during internet outages. The system offers robust end-to-end auditability and tamper resistance with low operational and carbon overhead, which was tested with comparative benchmarking against other blockchain logging models and conventional local and cloud-based loggers. The findings illustrate the technical and sustainability feasibility of digital audit trails based on blockchain technology for distributed solar energy systems. These audit trails facilitate scalable environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting, automated renewable energy certification, and transparent carbon accounting.

Keywords: blockchain; Merkle tree; solar energy; ESG reporting; Proof-of-Stake; IoT; decentralized monitoring; energy logging; carbon footprint (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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