THE ROLE OF DIGITALIZATION IN THE GLOBAL ENERGY TRANSITION1,2

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, digitalization has become one of the most popular topics in both practical and theoretical terms. In many areas, for example, in education and communications, during the period of limited mobility, information and communication technologies began to play almost a leading role. However, in some other areas, which during the pandemic also came under close scrutiny, for example, in the field of energy transition, digitalization has not yet fully unlocked its potential. Moreover, the digitalization of energy transition has not been researched enough. This article aims to fill this gap. The authors investigate the current stage of digitalization of the energy sector and the role of information and communication technologies in the traditional energy complex and in clean energy. Their goal is to identify and analyze the key groups of technologies that will have a decisive impact on the energy transition in the near future. In the final part, the authors examine the process of digitalization in the Russian energy sector in order to conclude whether it is giving an impetus to the energy transition of Russia.