LP-820: Network Energy Transparency

Abstract

This LP establishes the transparency standards for reporting Lux Network's energy consumption and environmental metrics. It defines what data is published, how it's calculated, where it's displayed, and how stakeholders can verify claims.

Motivation

Sustainability claims without transparency are worthless. Stakeholders increasingly demand:

1. Real-time visibility - Not just annual reports, but live metrics
2. Methodology disclosure - Understanding how numbers are calculated
3. Independent verification - Ability to audit claims
4. Comparable formats - Metrics that enable cross-network comparison

This LP transforms Lux Network's environmental performance from a black box into a transparent, verifiable system. It builds the trust foundation necessary for institutional adoption and regulatory compliance.

Transparency Principles

1. Complete: Report all material energy consumption
2. Accurate: Use best available data and methods
3. Comparable: Enable comparison with other networks
4. Timely: Publish data regularly and promptly
5. Accessible: Make data easy to find and understand

Public Metrics

Real-Time Dashboard

Location: explorer.lux.network/sustainability

Metric	Update Frequency	Calculation
Network power (kW)	Every block	Validator count × avg power
Energy per tx (Wh)	Every block	Power ÷ TPS
Carbon intensity (gCO2e/tx)	Daily	Energy × emission factor
Renewable %	Weekly	Survey data
Active validators	Real-time	On-chain data

Periodic Reports

Report	Frequency	Contents
Quarterly Sustainability Update	Quarterly	Key metrics, progress, initiatives
Annual ESG Report	Annual	Comprehensive review, verified data
Validator Energy Report	Annual	Detailed validator-level data

Calculation Methodologies

Network Power Consumption

Bottom-Up Method (Primary):

P_network = Σ(P_validator_i) for all active validators

Where:

• P_validator_i = Reported or estimated power per validator

Estimation for Unreported Validators:

• Cloud validators: Use instance type power estimates
• Bare metal: Use hardware TDP × 0.5 utilization factor
• Unknown: Use network average

Top-Down Method (Verification):

P_network = N_validators × P_average × (1 + overhead)

Where:

• N_validators = Active validator count
• P_average = Average power from survey
• overhead = 10% for networking/storage

Energy Per Transaction

E_tx = (P_network × T_block) / N_tx_block

Where:

• P_network = Network power (kW)
• T_block = Block time (seconds)
• N_tx_block = Transactions in block

Finality-Adjusted:

E_tx_final = E_tx × (1 / finality_probability)

For Lux (deterministic finality): finality_probability = 1.0

Carbon Intensity

I_carbon = E_tx × EF_network × (1 - R_network)

Where:

• E_tx = Energy per transaction (kWh)
• EF_network = Weighted average emission factor
• R_network = Renewable energy fraction

Emission Factor Calculation:

EF_network = Σ(EF_region_i × E_region_i) / Σ(E_region_i)

Weighted by energy consumption per region.

Data Sources

Primary Data

Data	Source	Quality
Validator count	On-chain	High
Transaction count	On-chain	High
Block time	On-chain	High
Validator location	Survey	Medium
Validator power	Survey + estimates	Medium
Renewable %	Survey	Medium

Secondary Data

Data	Source	Update Frequency
Grid emission factors	IEA, EPA eGRID	Annual
Instance power estimates	Cloud provider specs	As updated
Hardware TDP	Manufacturer specs	As updated
PUE benchmarks	Industry reports	Annual

Data Quality Indicators

Each metric displays quality indicator:

Indicator	Meaning
🟢 High	>80% primary data
🟡 Medium	50-80% primary data
🔴 Low	<50% primary data

Comparison Framework

Cross-Network Comparisons

When comparing Lux to other networks:

1. Normalize by finality: Account for different confirmation requirements
2. Use consistent boundaries: Same scope of emissions
3. Note methodology differences: Transparent about calculation variations
4. Update regularly: Use most recent data for all networks

Standard Comparison Metrics

Metric	Unit	Notes
Energy per final tx	Wh/tx	After finality achieved
Carbon per final tx	gCO2e/tx	Including renewable %
Energy per $1M secured	kWh/$M	Normalized by TVL
Annual network emissions	tCO2e/year	Total Scope 2

Comparison Table (Published)

Network	Consensus	Energy/tx	Carbon/tx	Renewable %
Lux	PoS	X Wh	X gCO2e	X%
[Other PoS]	PoS	Y Wh	Y gCO2e	Y%
[Bitcoin]	PoW	Z Wh	Z gCO2e	Z%

Updated quarterly with latest available data

Validator-Level Transparency

Public Validator Data

Data	Visibility	Purpose
Green tier status	Public	Inform delegators
Hosting region	Public	Geographic distribution
Renewable % (self-reported)	Public	Sustainability comparison

Private Validator Data

Data	Visibility	Purpose
Exact power consumption	Aggregated only	Network totals
Hosting provider	Private	Competitive sensitivity
Utility bills	Verification only	Audit purposes

Opt-In Enhanced Disclosure

Validators may opt to publish:

• Detailed energy breakdown
• Third-party verification reports
• Real-time power monitoring

Audit & Verification

Internal Verification

• Quarterly reconciliation of data sources
• Cross-check calculations
• Review methodology updates
• Sign-off by Sustainability Lead

External Verification

Annual third-party review covering:

• Calculation methodology
• Data quality assessment
• Reported metrics accuracy
• Recommendations for improvement

Verification statement published with annual report.

Community Verification

Open-source tools for community verification:

• Methodology documentation
• Calculation scripts
• Data sources listed
• API for raw data access

API Access

Public Sustainability API

Endpoint: api.lux.network/v1/sustainability

Available Data:

{
  "timestamp": "2025-12-17T00:00:00Z",
  "network_power_kw": 150.5,
  "energy_per_tx_wh": 0.025,
  "carbon_per_tx_gco2e": 0.008,
  "renewable_percent": 65.2,
  "validator_count": 1200,
  "green_certified_count": 360,
  "data_quality": "medium"
}

Rate Limits: 100 requests/minute (authenticated)

Documentation: docs.lux.network/api/sustainability

Historical Data

Data Retention

Data Type	Retention	Purpose
Real-time metrics	30 days	Dashboard display
Daily aggregates	2 years	Trend analysis
Monthly summaries	Permanent	Historical comparison
Annual reports	Permanent	Audit trail

Historical Comparisons

Publish year-over-year comparisons showing:

• Absolute emissions change
• Intensity improvement
• Renewable energy growth
• Validator sustainability adoption

Anti-Greenwashing Safeguards

Claim Standards

1. No unverified claims: All public claims backed by data
2. Uncertainty disclosure: Report confidence intervals
3. Methodology transparency: Publish calculation methods
4. Limitation acknowledgment: Note data gaps and estimates

Review Process

Before publishing sustainability claims:

1. Data verification by Sustainability team
2. Methodology review
3. Communications review
4. Legal review (for significant claims)

Correction Policy

If errors discovered:

1. Correct immediately
2. Publish correction notice
3. Explain impact of error
4. Update historical data if material

Related LPs

• LP-800: ESG Principles and Commitments
• LP-801: Carbon Accounting Methodology
• LP-810: Green Compute & Energy Procurement
• LP-840: Impact Disclosure & Anti-Greenwashing Policy
• LP-850: ESG Standards Alignment Matrix

Changelog

Version	Date	Changes
1.0	2025-12-17	Initial draft

Copyright

Copyright and related rights waived via CC0.