The Impact of Smart Technologies on the 3E Nexus: Benefits, Risks and Mitigation Strategies

Irina Dorogaia; Olga Caminschi; Olga Chicu

doi:10.2478/raft-2026-0026

.blurhash-client-img { display: none !important; }

The Impact of Smart Technologies on the 3E Nexus: Benefits, Risks and Mitigation Strategies

Land Forces Academy Review

Volume 31 (2026): Issue 3 (September 2026)

By: Irina Dorogaia, Olga Caminschi and Olga Chicu

Open Access

|Sep 2026

Abstract

Smart technologies are increasingly reshaping the relationship between economic development, energy systems, and environmental performance. Their application creates new opportunities for improving resource efficiency, strengthening energy management, and supporting more sustainable economic activity. At the same time, the expansion of digital infrastructure generates additional technological, environmental, and managerial risks that may reduce the expected benefits of digital transformation. This study examines the impact of smart technologies on the Economy–Energy– Environment (3E) nexus, with particular attention to the balance between positive effects and associated risks. The analysis draws on recent scientific literature, comparative assessment, and the synthesis of international experience related to artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data, digital twins, and automated management systems. The results show that smart technologies can improve productivity, optimise energy consumption, enhance environmental monitoring, and support more informed decision-making. However, these benefits are accompanied by higher electricity demand from digital infrastructure, growing cybersecurity exposure, increasing volumes of electronic waste, dependence on digital platforms, and new governance challenges. The study therefore argues that the contribution of smart technologies to sustainable development depends not only on the scale of their adoption, but also on the quality of risk management and the capacity to anticipate unintended consequences. The article proposes a set of mitigation strategies focused on energy-efficient digital solutions, stronger cybersecurity and data-governance practices, improved regulatory coordination, and the integration of technological risks into organisational risk-management systems. The findings provide a conceptual basis for evaluating smart technologies as a factor influencing the coordinated development of the 3E nexus.

References

Apergis, N., & Payne, J.E. (2010). Energy consumption and economic growth: Evidence from a panel of OECD countries. Energy Policy, 38 (1), 656-660. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2009.09.002.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2014). The second machine age: Work, progress, and prosperity in a time of brilliant technologies. W. W. Norton & Company.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Destefanis, T., Guliyeva, S., Boccardo, P., & Fissore, V. (2025). Advancing Flood Detection and Mapping: A Review of Earth Observation Services, 3D Data Integration, and AI-Based Techniques. Retrieved July 8, 2026, from: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/17/2943.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Destination Earth. (n.d.). Destination Earth. Retrieved July 8, 2026, from: https://destination-earth.eu/.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
EBA CLEARING. (2026). White paper on real-time transaction monitoring. Available at: https://www.ebaclearing.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/EBACL_20260609_White_Paper_on_Real-time_Transaction_Monitoring_public.pdf.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Ejsmont, K., Gładysz, B., & Kluczek, A. (2020). Impact of Industry 4.0 on sustainability: Bibliometric literature review. Sustainability, 12(14), 5650. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145650.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
European Commission. (n.d.). Alternative fuels infrastructure. Retrieved July 8, 2026, from: https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/clean-transport/alternative-fuels-sustainable-mobility-europe/alternative-fuels-infrastructure_en.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Flood Hub. (n.d). Retrieved July 8, 2026, from: https://sites.research.google/floods/l/0/0/3.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Ghobakhloo, M. (2020). Industry 4.0, digitization, and opportunities for sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 252, 119869. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119869.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Global Forest Watch. (2021). Indigenous forest monitors curb deforestation. Retrieved July 8, 2026, from: https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/users-inaction/indigenous-forest-monitors-reduce-deforestation/.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
International Energy Agency. (2017). Digitalisation and energy. OECD/IEA.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
International Energy Agency. (2025). Energy and AI: Executive summary. Retrieved July 10, 2026, from: https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-and-ai/executive-summary.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
International Energy Agency. (2025). Key questions on energy and AI: Executive summary. Available at: https://www.iea.org/reports/key-questions-on-energy-andai/executive-summary.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Kamble, S.S., Gunasekaran, A., & Gawankar, S.A. (2018). Sustainable Industry 4.0 framework: A systematic literature review identifying the current trends and future perspectives. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 117, 408-425. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0957582018301629?via%3Dihub.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Mhlanga, D. (2025). AI beyond efficiency: Navigating the rebound effect in AI-driven sustainable development. ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393014437_AI_beyond_efficiency_navigating_the_rebound_effect_in_AI-driven_sustainable_development.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
OECD. (2022). Digitalisation for the transition to a resource efficient and circular economy. OECD Environment Working Papers No. 192. OECD Publishing.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Omri, A. (2014). An international literature survey on energy-economic growth nexus: Evidence from country-specific studies. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 38, 951-959. Available at: https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v38y2014icp951-959.html.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2024). The impact of artificial intelligence on productivity, distribution and growth. OECD Publishing. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2024/04/the-impact-of-artificial-intelligence-on-productivity-distribution-and-growth_d54e2842/8d900037-en.pdf.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2026). OECD compendium of productivity indicators 2026. OECD Publishing. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2026/06/oecd-compendium-of-productivity-indicators-2026_04e21c23/734a5e68-en.pdf.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Ozturk, I. (2010). A literature survey on energy–growth nexus. Energy Policy, 38(1), 340-349. Available at: https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v38y2010i1p340-349.html.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Patrício, L., & Varela, L. (2025). Industry 4.0 and sustainability: A systematic review on advanced technologies and collaborative models. EAI Endorsed Transactions on Digital Transformation of Industrial Processes, 1(4). Available at: https://doi.org/10.4108/dtip.11904.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Porter, M.E., & Heppelmann, J.E. (2014). How smart, connected products are transforming competition. Harvard Business Review, 92(11), 64-88. Available at: https://hbr.org/2014/11/how-smart-connected-products-are-transforming-competition.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Schneider Electric. (2023). The AI disruption: challenges and guidance for data center design. Published by Statista Research Department. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1536969/ai-electricity-consumption-worldwide/.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Statista. (2026b). Electricity market worldwide. IRENA. Retrieved July 10, 2026, from: https://www.statista.com/study/74593/electricity-worldwide.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Statista. (2024). Projected global electronic waste generation from 2019 to 2030. Retrieved July 8, 2026, from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/499891/projection-ewaste-generation-worldwide/.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Stern, D.I. (2004). The rise and fall of the environmental Kuznets curve. World Development, 32(8), 1419-1439. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2004.03.004.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Thuy, D. (2026). Internet of Things (IoT) spending worldwide from 2015 to 2026. Retrieved July 8, 2026, from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/668996/worldwide-expenditures-for-the-internet-of-things/.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Tiba, S., & Omri, A. (2017). Literature survey on the relationships between energy, environment and economic growth. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 69, 1129-1146. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.09.113.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
TwinEU: Digital twins for the European energy system. Available at: https://twineu.net/.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Vial, G. (2019). Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 28(2), 118-144. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2019.01.003.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Vinuesa, R., et al. (2020). The role of artificial intelligence in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Nature Communications, 11, Article 233. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-14108-y.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Wang, Y., Chen, Q., Kang, C., Xia, Q., & Luo, M. (2018). Load forecasting with smart meter data: A review. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, 9(6), 5985-6000. Available at: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-16-4975-2_2.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article

Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/raft-2026-0026 | Journal eISSN: 3100-5071 (formerly 2247-840X) | Journal ISSN: 3100-5063

Journal RSS Feed

Language: English

Page range: 337 - 350

Published on: Sep 16, 2026

Published by: Nicolae Balcescu Land Forces Academy

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

smart technologies,

3E system,

risk management,

sustainable development

Related subjects:

Business and economics,

Business management,

Business management, other,

Engineering,

Electrical engineering,

Fundamentals of electrical engineering,

Social sciences,

Political science,

Political science, other,

Education,

Education, other

© 2026 Irina Dorogaia, Olga Caminschi, Olga Chicu, published by Nicolae Balcescu Land Forces Academy
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Volume 31 (2026): Issue 3 (September 2026)