Harnessing Open-Source Standards for Sustainable Digital Design in the Energy Transition

The digitalization of energy systems, while enabling real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance, introduces environmental and operational challenges due to the growing complexity and resource demands of digital infrastructures. Unlike physical assets, digital systems in the energy sector lack standardized frameworks for ecological design. This paper proposes that open source software standards – such as the Software Package Data Exchange framework, the Software Hash Identifier system, and the OpenChain compliance program – can address these challenges by enhancing transparency, traceability, and accountability.