AI–IoT-Enabled Smart Energy Ecosystems: Architectures, Security, and Sustainability

Abstract

The increasing integration of renewable energy resources, distributed energy systems, and intelligent sensing technologies has accelerated the transformation of conventional power grids into interconnected cyber–physical smart energy ecosystems. In this context, the convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a key enabler for intelligent monitoring, adaptive energy management, resilient grid operation, and sustainable energy coordination. Although numerous studies have investigated AI, IoT, blockchain, and cybersecurity technologies individually, many existing reviews focus on isolated domains without adequately addressing the interactions between intelligent operational control, communication infrastructures, decentralized coordination, sustainability, and cyber resilience. Accordingly, this paper presents a comprehensive system-level review of AI–IoT-enabled smart energy ecosystems, focusing on smart grids, microgrids, intelligent energy management, blockchain-enabled decentralized coordination, carbon emissions monitoring, and cyber-resilient energy infrastructures. Unlike existing surveys that primarily emphasize individual technologies or algorithmic performance, this work highlights the cross-layer integration and architectural interdependencies between AI-driven operational intelligence, IoT-enabled monitoring, secure communication frameworks, and sustainability-oriented energy management. The paper also discusses key challenges related to interoperability, scalability, cybersecurity, communication latency, and distributed coordination, in addition to future research directions toward resilient, autonomous, and sustainable intelligent energy ecosystems.