Energy-Aware Blockchain Protocol Design for Embedded Edge Devices in Smart Infrastructure

Abstract

The convergence of blockchain technology and smart infrastructure necessitates novel, energy
efficient protocol designs, particularly for resource-constrained embedded edge devices. Conventional blockchain
mechanisms, though secure, are computation-intensive and unsuitable for real-time operations in edge environments.
This paper proposes an energy-aware blockchain protocol optimized for embedded ARM microcontrollers
commonly used in smart city infrastructures. The proposed solution incorporates three key innovations: (1) adaptive
difficulty adjustment for reducing computational workload, (2) lightweight data compression schemes to minimize
communication overhead, and (3) dynamic node participation enabling low-power standby modes during idle
periods. We implemented the protocol on ARM Cortex-M series microcontrollers and evaluated its performance
under various urban use cases, such as traffic monitoring, smart lighting, and utility metering. Experimental results
demonstrate up to 48% energy savings without compromising the blockchain's core attributes of decentralization,
data integrity, and tamper resistance. Additionally, the protocol achieves faster consensus convergence and reduced
memory footprint, making it ideal for IoT-based embedded ecosystems. The study contributes to the field of green
computing by offering a practical blueprint for sustainable blockchain integration in smart infrastructure. Future
directions include extending this work to heterogeneous edge networks and integrating hardware accelerators for
cryptographic primitives.