A Comprehensive Survey on Blockchain-Integrated Smart Grids

Abstract

The demand for electricity continues to increase significantly as the industrial age progresses. The concept of a smart grid was introduced to guarantee effective electricity distribution, supply security, minimum losses, and high levels of quality in the power system. The effective integration of green and renewable energy technology has been proposed as a new vision for the conventional power system to reduce its carbon footprint, environmentally friendly energy mix, and foster sustainable economic development. To achieve these, the smart grid combines advanced technologies, data analytics, smart devices, and communication systems. However, the traditional centralized grid system faces critical challenges to effectively manage the smart devices, maintain security, and stability of the system. As a result, the smart grid is leading to a shift from a centralized topology to a more decentralized and distributed model. On the other hand, blockchain is a decentralized and distributed ledger technology that holds significant potential as an intriguing application within the smart grid paradigm. In this chapter, we aim to provide an overview of blockchain technology, and a number of recent research works presented in different literatures on blockchain integration into smart grid systems for energy management, energy trading, security and privacy, microgrid management, and electric vehicle management. Finally, we present the limitations and future direction of applying blockchain in smart grids. Index Terms -Blockchain, smart grids, cyber-physical system, electric vehicles, and security and privacy