Meteorological changes urge engineering communities to look for sustainable and clean energy technologies to keep the environment safe by reducing CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2 emissions. The structure of these technologies relies on the deep integration of advanced data-driven techniques which can ensure efficient energy generation

transmission

and distribution. After conducting thorough research for more than a decade

the concept of the smart grid (SG) has emerged

and its practice around the world paves the ways for efficient use of reliable energy technology. However

many developing features evoke keen interest and their improvements can be regarded as the next-generation smart grid (NGSG). Also

to deal with the non-linearity and uncertainty

the emergence of data-driven NGSG technology can become a great initiative to reduce the diverse impact of non-linearity. This paper exhibits the conceptual framework of NGSG by enabling some intelligent technical features to ensure its reliable operation

including intelligent control

agent-based energy conversion

edge computing for energy management

internet of things (loT) enabled inverter

agent-oriented demand side management

etc. Also

a study on the development of data-driven NGSG is discussed to facilitate the use of emerging data-driven techniques (DDTs) for the sustainable operation of the SG. The prospects of DDTs in the NGSG and their adaptation challenges in real-time are also explored in this paper from various points of view including engineering

technology

et al. Finally

the trends of DDTs towards securing sustainable and clean energy evolution from the NGSG technology in order to keep the environment safe is also studied

while some major future issues are highlighted. This paper can offer extended support for engineers and researchers in the context of data-driven technology and the SG.