Industry 4.0 in the electric sector: Findings from a systematic review of the literature

Abstract

Also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the concept of Industry 4.0 emerged in 2011 from a German government project, which stimulated the computerization of production lines in industries due to the increased demand for specific and personalized products using the growing evolution of new technologies that enabled the integration between machines in their production environment. Through a systematic literature review, this study seeks to understand the concepts of Industry 4.0 in the electricity sector, considering the aspects of its planning and the expected structural benefits, both in the quality of distributed energy and, consequently, in the application of this energy for the automation of industrial productive processes and smart cities. This study found twelve main dimensions most cited by the authors, of which five constructs of Industry 4.0 in the electricity sector were formed: infrastructure, technologies, smart solutions, sustainability, and energy management. Such constructs are interconnected like a gear system, on which each construct depends on the other. This study seeks to analyze the impacts, support elements, benefits, disadvantages, and the possibility of developing new procedures, products, and services that the technologies of Industry 4.0 can bring to the electrical sector and indirectly to its customers. It also aims to identify the factors that lead the top management to the right decision regarding the choice of technologies to increase efficiency and quality never previously achieved with current processes and technologies.