# Review and Categorization of Digital Applications in the Energy Sector
## 7 Conclusions  
In conclusion, it can be stated that digitalization is a process that has begun decades ago and is continuously accelerating. It has already drastically changed several industry sectors. In the energy sector, many digital applications have been implemented; however, more drastic changes can be expected in the next decades. A literature review based on ten publications was performed. The ten publications all take a broad view of the digitalization of the energy sector including all value chain steps. Based on the literature analysis, a structured overview of potential digital applications, expected benefits, and impacted stakeholders is presented. Three impact areas are identified as categories of digital applications, \"System balance\", \"Process optimization\", and \"Customer orientation\", each containing numerous individual digital applications. The \"System balance\" applications mainly consist of applications in the fields \"smart grid\" and \"smart market\", which actively control generation and consumption in order to balance both based on data-driven monitoring, control and prediction tools. These applications are found to be the most discussed in the analyzed literature. \"Process optimization\" applications either optimize processes based on data analytics or automate processes based on robotics. \"Customer orientation\" applications use a variety of digital technologies and mostly aim at providing a benefit to the customer, which in some cases could be monetized by the service provider. The main benefits identified in the analyzed publications are cost reduction due to more efficient and effective processes and a positive impact on the system stability due to improved balancing of generation, consumption and grid capacity. While the benefits of improved system stability are naturally mainly attributed to the applications of the \"System balance\" category, the cost reduction benefit is found to be mentioned for all seven application subcategories. Hence, it can be concluded that most digital applications, even those which do not focus directly on cost reduction, have the potential to reduce cost. In other words, cost reduction due to digitalization is not only a matter of process automation. The third most mentioned benefit is the fulfillment of customer expectations which, naturally, is mostly attributed to the applications of the \"Customer orientation\" category. However, most other application (sub)categories also appear to generate a positive effect for the fulfillment of customer expectations. Environmental protection, as the fourth most often discussed benefit, correlates with the \"system stability\" benefit, as its main effect is based on a reduction of GHG emissions and resource use due to an energy system, which allows the integration of more renewable energies. Further identified benefits are increase in revenues due to new business models, products and services and reduction of energy demand due to energy-efficiency applications as well as reduced losses. All stakeholders of the energy value chain are impacted by digital applications, including the environment, the society, and the national economy. The main impacted stakeholder identified is the grid. The grid, itself a network connecting generation and consumption, can greatly benefit from monitoring, control and communication technologies. Various applications for system balancing and process optimization with an impact on the grid are identified. Coherent with the finding that most digital application subcategories have the potential to fulfill customer expectations, also the consumers/prosumers are affected by applications of most subcategories. This is mainly due to the changing role from a passive consumer to an actively participating customer who offers generation and flexible demand capacity to other participants or the market. Further impacted stakeholders are (descending order): generation, sales, environment, market and the society/national economy.