GNSS Technologies for the Sustainable Energy Sector: Current Applications, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

This article presents a comprehensive overview of the applications of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in the energy sector. Based on 161 publications selected from the Web of Science database, it outlines the role of measurement techniques such as RTK/RTN (Real-Time Kinematic/Network), PPP (Precise Point Positioning), GNSS-R/IR (GNSS Reflectometry/Interferometric Reflectometry), and GNSS-RO (GNSS Radio Occultation) in monitoring critical infrastructure such as wind farms, solar installations, hydroelectric dams, and nuclear power plants. The reviewed studies show that GNSS improves the performance of solar tracking systems in photovoltaics, enables automated drone inspections of difficult-to-access components, and provides time references for critical synchronisation, e.g., via the Precision Time Protocol (PTP), in smart grids. Combined with other measurement techniques, GNSS enables precise monitoring of deformations of large dams and multi-kilometre pipelines. The main barriers identified include limited sky visibility, multipath errors, jamming, and spoofing. These phenomena are important from a security perspective in the energy sector, particularly in the nuclear sector. The development of multi-constellation GNSS (GPS, Galileo, and BeiDou) and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) are identified as key factors for improving the resilience and continuity of modern energy systems.