Abstract Due to the growing number of Distributed Energy Resources and new electrical loads at the sectoral contact points, novel organisational forms such as Local Energy Markets arise to deal with increasing complexity in the energy system. However, these markets are radically different from traditional energy markets, as they often allow individual prosumers to trade with each other via a peer‐to‐peer scheme. To guarantee tamper‐proof settlement, an increasing number of these markets feature a distributed ledger technology. This paper analyses different design variants of peer‐to‐peer markets, focusing specifically on the allocation mechanism under network constraints as these mechanisms constitute the core component of a market design. We assess these designs concerning user acceptance, economic performance, practicability, and their ability to relieve grid congestion. Further key performance indicators also cover communal revenues or welfare distribution. For this purpose, we developed an agent‐based simulation framework, which builds on data from three German reference municipalities derived from a novel clustering approach. Besides a consolidated presentation of the results, we highlight current implementation obstacles and identify promising concepts for further research.
Mikko Nykyri, Tommi J. Kärkkäinen, Saku Levikari, Samuli Honkapuro · 6 authors
Sharing local co-owned photovoltaic (PV) energy in multifamily residential buildings is inefficient. Energy produced and consumed within the same building may be considered purchased energy, of which the customer must pay the purchase price, the network service fee, and taxes. As PV typically does not allow self-sufficiency in the Nordic countries, a distribution system operator is needed to provide the grid connection. Earlier solutions to this problem are focused on energy communities where an energy aggregator is responsible for the energy balance settlement. However, this does not allow the energy community members to remain in the open electricity market. This paper introduces a blockchain-based balance settlement ledger and a set of rules for energy sharing in energy communities where members participate in the open electricity market while supplied with local low-cost PV energy. This, to the authors’ knowledge, has not been previously implemented. The blockchain mitigates the need for any central entity for balance settlement and ensures fair sharing of PV energy. The existing smart meters can be used so no investments are required. The system performance is tested with simulations which show potential for increase in profitability. The self-sufficiency rate increases in our test scenario from 4.03% to 9.61%.
<p> Power systems are undergoing rapid transitions to incorporate renewable sources of generation and to combat climate change. Next stage of transitions will lead to a shift from large-scale, centralized systems to networks of smallsized, distributed electricity systems which require distributed or decentralized ledgers for database management for efficient transactions. Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) are a form of decentralized ledgers where the transactions (energy, information and money) among various entities are maintained. One such DLT is blockchain technology which offers several advantages. Data recorded in blockchains are difficult to tamper with; have privacy protection; facilitate fast, accurate and real-time settlement of financial transactions. Contemporary research has started focusing on their possible applications in energy systems. State-of-the-art suggests that while business and market aspects have been extensively discussed, the electrical constraints and implementation methodologies have not been adequately addressed. Furthermore, all the reviewed projects have implemented only peer-to-peer transactions that are not scalable. To incorporate the new entities like prosumers, intermicrogrid transactions and interactions with the legacy power grid, new structural and operational frameworks are necessary. The proposed research explores the possibility of developing blockchain enabled smart microgrids (BSMG) with the above frameworks. It aims to build a conceptual framework of BSMG, including the transaction protocols and process flows. It proposes inclusion of network constraints in a three-levelled transaction setup which is executed over a four-layered architecture. Another practical challenge is that BSMGs may be set up on different blockchain platforms. Hence, this paper also proposes implementing Inter-Blockchain Protocol for the first time to include interoperability and communication between different platforms. Finally the performance metrics that will be used to validate the BSMGs are outlined. </p>
In recent years, advancements in electric vehicle (EV) technology and rising petrol prices have increased the demand for EVs and also made them important for the Smart Grid (SG) economy. During the high energy demand, Vehicle to Grid (V2G) comprises a notable feature that returns the stored energy back to the grid. However, due to dynamic nature of energy prices and EVs availability, determining the best charging and discharging strategy is quite difficult. The existing approaches need a model to predict the uncertainty and optimize the scheduling problem. Further, other issues like security, scalability, and real-time data accessibility of EVs energy trading (ET) data at low cost also exist. Though many solutions exist, they are not adequate to handle the aforementioned issues. This paper proposes a Secure V2G-Energy Trading (SV2G-ET) scheme using deep Reinforcement Learning (RL) and Ethereum Blockchain Technology (EBT). The proposed SV2G-ET scheme employs a deep Q-network for EVs scheduling for charging/discharging. SV2G-ET scheme uses InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) and smart contract (SC) for secure access of EV’s ET data in real time. The experimental results prove the efficacy of the proposed SV2G-ET scheme that leads to improved scalability, saving the EVs charging cost, low ET data storage cost, and increased EV owner’s profit.
As the backbone of the smart grid, smart metering systems enable customers, as well as utility companies, to have access to real-time information on consumption patterns in electricity, gas, and water. From a technical standpoint, smart metering systems (1) reduce the need to verify electricity, gas, and water consumption services, (2) allow for efficient management of electricity, gas, and water consumption patterns, and (3) protect natural resources. Additionally, smart metering systems provide a number of important functions that should be performed manually, such as automatic and remote measurement of electricity, gas, and water consumption, connect or disconnect service, tampering detection, outage identification and isolation, and collecting, aggregating, and analyzing real-time information of the fundamental parameters associated with customers’ services, i.e., voltage, current, etc. Besides, considering the number of customers, there are several limitations to accessing and sharing the data between utility companies and customers, and therefore, reliable and secure communication infrastructure is needed. To resolve such issues, a conceptual and technological Blockchain-based system is developed to securely share the real-time collected data from a set of various sensors for monitoring and control of electricity, gas, and water consumption, namely the multifunctional integrated smart metering system. The proposed system takes advantage of a decentralized structure, connectivity of the Internet of Things (IoT) nodes, data privacy, and transparency and auditability. The proposed Blockchain-based smart metering system allows customers to securely monitor their actual electricity, gas, and water consumption for a specific period of time and review the full history of consumption. This leads to finding solutions to rationalize the consumption of electricity, gas, and water resources.
The main roles of an advanced Battery Management System (BMS) are to dynamically monitor the battery packs and ensure the efficiency and reliability of the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). Estimating the State of Charge (SoC), State of Health (SoH), State of Power (SoP), State of Energy (SoE), State of Temperature (SoT), and State of Safety (SoS) depends on collecting, aggregating, and analyzing real-time data of the BESS. Based on the applications of BESSs and their sizes, there are several restrictions in accessing and sharing data between battery manufacturers, power grid operators, and electricity consumers, while building necessary communication infrastructure is required. To resolve such issues, a conceptual and technological Blockchain-based system is developed in this paper to securely share the real-time data collected from BESSs for monitoring and control purposes, i.e., state estimation. The proposed system benefits from integrating the Internet of Things (IoT) devices in a decentralized structure and connectivity of such IoT nodes, data privacy, and transparency and auditability. The proposed Blockchain-based system is capable of accurately estimating SoC, SoH, SoP, SoE, SoT, and SoS of BESSs in small-and grid-scales.
Much has changed in the power industry since the inception of commercial electrical power systems. What has not changed is the cycle of disruption and adaptation empowered by innovation. The next disruption is on the horizon and is fueled by the push to decarbonize the grid. In this article, I argue that the next disruption will be shaped by three technologies: artificial intelligence (AI), 5G networks, and distributed digital ledger (DDL). Even though historical elements in this article are drawn from the evolution of the power industry in the United States, parallels can be found elsewhere.
Yeray Mezquita, Ana Belén Gil González, A. Martı́n del Rey, Javier Prieto · 5 authors
Blockchain technology is used as a distributed ledger to store and secure data and perform transactions between entities in smart grids. This paper proposes a platform based on blockchain technology and the multi-agent system paradigm to allow for the creation of an automated peer-to-peer electricity market in micro-grids. The use of a permissioned blockchain network has multiple benefits as it reduces transaction costs and enables micro-transactions. Moreover, an improvement in security is obtained, eliminating the single point of failure in the control and management of the platform along with creating the possibility to trace back the actions of the participants and a mechanism of identification. Furthermore, it provides the opportunity to create a decentralized and democratic energy market while complying with the current legislation and regulations on user privacy and data protection by incorporating Zero-Knowledge Proof protocols and ring signatures.
The heterogeneous and decentralized nature of renewable energy sources is too much to handle for traditional and centralized IT grid infrastructure. Blockchain technology can address many of the associated challenges. This paper provides an overview of the state-of-the-art technology layers of grid system infrastructure, a proposed future state using blockchain technology, and gap analysis. The paper also contributes a set of architectural requirements for a blockchain-enabled future state and a proposed hybrid architecture using blockchain technology, verifiable credentials, and smart contracts. This architecture can uniquely support the technology layers critical to renewable energies, including system architecture, registries, grid management, billing, privacy, and interoperability.
Manzar Ahmed, Abid Mohummad Khan, Mishaal Ahmed, Muhammad Javeed · 9 authors
In future all Energy resources will be control through the internet (IoT) both home and commercial systems. For home power system, user can installed solar or wind energy system from 1 KW to 10 MW, depend on the area and location. These Energy resources will be control by Microgrid, the microgrid can work in two mode such as stand-alone system or with grid-connected mode. To control losses and trading the energy in microgrid network. The blockchain technology is suitable for microgrid because it has potential to resolve all issues such as energy theft case or billing fraud. The blockchain is distributed ledger technology and it has the potential to improve efficiencies by updating the status of the system. Microgrid combination with blockchain provide complete solution to all previous issues, which were present in conational energy system. In this research work, the Microgrid model with blockchain technology will be analyze for the energy sector to address the issues of the present problems, such as low efficiency, market competition, improve contract system for selling energy and theft case on basis of trusted and secure transaction platform without third party.
This paper introduces a blockchain-based P2P energy trading platform, where prosumers can trade energy autonomously with no central authority interference. Multiple prosumers can collaborate in producing energy to form a single provider. Clients’ power consumption is monitored using a smart meter that interfaces with an IoT node connected to a blockchain private network. The smart contracts, invoked on the blockchain, enable the autonomous trading interactions between parties and govern accounts behavior within the Ethereum state. The decentralized P2P trading platform utilizes autonomous pay-per-use billing and energy routing, monitored by a smart contract. A Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) deep learning-based model, predicts future consumption based on past data aggregated to the blockchain. Predictions are then used to set Time of Use (ToU) ranges using the K-mean clustering. The data used to train the GRU model are shared between all parties within the network, making the predictions transparent and verifiable. Implementing the K-mean clustering in a smart contract on the blockchain allows the set of ToU to be independent and incontestable. To secure the validity of the data uploaded to the blockchain, a consensus algorithm is suggested to detect fraudulent nodes along with a Proof of Location (PoL), ensuring that the data are uploaded from the expected nodes. The paper explains the proposed platform architecture, functioning as well as implementation in vivid details. Results are presented in terms of smart contract gas consumption and transaction latency under different loads.
Decarbonisation of energy sector is crucial to deliver the future net zero energy system with promoting and facilitating the large-scale electrification of end-user sectors. It is necessary to provide sustainable, cost-effective, resilient and scalable energy solutions to exploit the power of citizens to contribute to the clean energy transition, increasing the flexibility of the overall energy system. Energy community, as the new actor, create an integrated pan energy market by bringing together the local consumers and energy market players. However, diversity of energy community brings huge challenges in integration of decentralized renewables with regulated framework, interaction of decentralized marketplaces, as well as interoperability of the cross-border energy sectors with privacy, security and incentives. This paper intends to provide an in-depth investigation on the role of microgrid and blockchain, alone and together, in facilitating the energy community as the “enabling framework” to boost the potential solutions of electrification in the transportation, building, and industrial sectors, as well as rural/remote areas and islands towards a networking green ecosystem. This paper serves as a comprehensive reference to understand the modern microgrid on its control and communication technology with integration of blockchain services in promoting the techno-socio-economic innovations for the restructuring of the sustainable energy supply chain.
Haseeb Javed, Muhammad Irfan, Moazzam Shehzad, Hafiz Abdul Muqeet · 7 authors
Peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading platform is an upcoming energy generation and effective energy managing strategy that rewards proactive customers (acting as prosumers) in which individuals trade energy for products and services. On the other hand, P2P trading is expected to give multiple benefits to the grid in minimizing the peak load demand, energy consumption costs, and eliminating network losses. However, installing P2P energy trading on a broader level in electrical-based networks presents a number of modeling problems in physical and virtual network layers. As a result, this article presents a thorough examination of P2P studies of energy trade literature. An overview is given with the essential characteristics of P2P energy trading and comparatively analyzed with multiple advantages for the utility grid and individual prosumers. The study then addresses the physical and virtual levels that systematically categorize the available research. Furthermore, the technological techniques have been gone through multiple problems that need to overcome for P2P energy trading in electrical networks. Finally, the article concludes with suggestions for further research.
The synergy of clean energy and electric vehicles (EVs) is highly relevant in achieving low-carbon development. To promote the coordinated development of EVs and photovoltaics (PV) under the background of open power selling, a PV–EV bidding model that considers carbon emissions based on the distributed storage and smart contract technology of a blockchain is proposed in this study. This model aims to provide economic benefits to market players, ensure the safety and environmental protection of power grid operations, and integrate the ladder-type carbon emission trading mechanism. Then, it divides the electricity market into the electricity sales layer, i.e., active distribution networks (ADNs) and PV systems, and the electricity purchase layer, i.e., EVs. Smart contracts are signed with the agent layer, i.e., charging stations. The improved particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to solve the price and power of PV systems and EVs in the optimal contract, and the revenue of PV systems and EVs can be increased by over 35%. Moreover, the orderly charging and discharging of EVs is coordinated with the characteristics of the daily power generation and evening load peaks of PV systems. The proposed model can effectively provide an optimal scheduling scheme for peak load shifting and valley filling while reducing the carbon emissions of ADNs. It also promotes the local consumption of PV.
We present a prototype of a decentralized power trading system based on the use of distributed ledger technology. This sort of efficient, decentralized marketplace is needed to empower prosumers and make them first-class members of a smart, decentralized power grid in order to drive further renewable energy adoption. Unlike the bulk of previous work in this field, we focus on private permissioned distributed ledgers rather than conventional blockchains. The proposed solution is entirely independent of cryptocurrency, with an explicit design capability of being adapted piecemeal without any fundamental changes to the present regulatory environment. To be economical, efficient, and scalable, our prototype is based on a lean, Corda-based private permissioned distributed ledger. It allows for instant, automatic bidding on and trading of ‘power promises’ and the robust implementation of short-term, small-scale liquid electrical power futures. We demonstrate that the prototype performs well and presents several clear advantages over existing solutions based on conventional blockchains. Therefore, the proposed approach represents a promising, robust solution to the smart grid decentralized power trading problem.
A deeper decarbonization perspective is undergoing with the increasing engagement of new distributed players and the deployment of innovative behind-the-meter flexibility services. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) trading has emerged as an innovative mechanism to foster the direct energy sharing among multi-level market players with pre-determined responsibility and privacy. However, compared with other P2P assets trading, P2P energy trading is facing huge challenges in achieving a large-scale commercialization due to the cooperation obstacles between non-professional distributed players and regulated players as Distributed System Operator (DSO), Transmission System Operator (TSO) and utilities. It is related to not only business and marketing, but also energy system operation to keep secure and reliable with injection of new roles, new utilization patterns, and new markets. This paper investigates the socio-technical interaction and mechanism for the sustainable P2P energy trading from the social dimension on the cooperation of multi-level market players, the technical dimension on the cutting-edge exchange of flexibility, and the economical dimension on the inter-operative decentralized/regulated marketplaces. Three questions are targeted on: (1) How Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enables co-creation of decentralized heterogeneous user-centered digital frameworks for the large-scale P2P trading interaction, (2) What specific energy services drive the cross-border interactions for exchange of multi-scale P2P flexibility, (3) How operational framework in P2P energy trading achieves the inter-operative marketplaces with the formation of trusted P2P energy society and the injection of multi-scale flexibility services. Finally, regulation challenges on P2P energy trading implementation are discussed for the guide of future work.
Weitao Tan, Lei Li, Ziqiang Zhou, Yong Yan · 8 authors
The market-oriented transaction of distributed energy resources is regarded as an important way to solve the problem of local distributed energy consumption and improve the operation economy and security of the distribution network. However, the market for distributed power transactions in China is still in the early stage, and there is a lack of effective and reliable transaction mechanisms for standardizing users’ credit behaviors. Therefore, a blockchain-based distributed power transaction mechanism considering credit management is proposed. First, the framework of the distributed power transaction based on blockchain is constructed. On this basis, the process of distributed power transaction considering credit management is designed, which can manage users’ credit behaviors comprehensively from the aspects of market access, bidding mechanism, and trading settlement. Then, the smart contract of distributed power transactions is customized. The effectiveness of the proposed mechanism is illustrated by the simulation results on the platform of Remix IDE.
Cruz E. Borges, Evgenia Kapassa, Marios Touloupou, Jon Legarda · 5 authors
Flexible and distributed energy markets are a reality that is progressively reaching many regions. Despite their clear benefits, they should be accepted by the prosumers. Additionally, blockchain technology and smart contracts have been characterised as a technological enabler for the energy sector and P2P Energy Markets (PEM). However, little research has been done to explore blockchain's user-centred perspective. Therefore, this paper analyses the reluctance and/or concerns of prosumers regarding smart contracts, and investigates their perception on blockchain within PEMs. The authors present the results of a survey conducted across several European countries addressing the implementation of automated trading systems and analysing the adoption of smart contracts. Considering that the main survey outcomes are related to the regulation and legislation uncertainty around blockchain usage, this paper explores also the fit of smart contracts from a legal perspective. Additionally, a set of recommendations to be used as the basis for the design and development of PEMs is delivered, aiming to adopt blockchain and smart contracts. As a key take-away, the authors confirm the crucial role that blockchain will play in the deployment of fair, secure, flexible and distributed energy markets by ensuring transparency in the exchange of information between prosumers and energy stakeholders.
The increasing prevalence of renewable energy resources introduces a high variability that complicates the task of energy management in modern power grids. Among other technologies, batteries have proven effective in managing power imbalances in such grids. However, the high cost of large-scale batteries, coupled with their enormous space requirements, could deter their adoption by large consumers such as shared facility controllers. The aggregation of residential energy storage units offers shared facility controllers (SFCs) an alternative way to leverage storage; however, a secure scheme that promotes fairness and transparency in the selection and compensation of shared storage unit owners is needed. To this end, an Ethereum smart contract that makes residential storage capacities available to SFCs via a double auction mechanism is proposed. The contract is written with solidity and deployed in the browser-based Remix-integrated development environment. Scenario tests prove the effectiveness of the smart contract in selecting and compensating the owners of shared storage capacities, according to predefined auction rules.
Sabrina Lee Chartier, Vinod Kumar Venkiteswaran, Shriram S. Rangarajan, E.R. Collins · 5 authors
Microgrids are emerging throughout the world as a means of integrating decentralized, renewable energy power generation. The flexibility of this customer-driven, behind the meter solution allows it to address unique challenges. This variability that drives microgrid adoption is the same thing that keeps them from being categorized and repeatable. This lack of specific modeling leads to a stalling in financing and wide-scale adoption. By analyzing the microgrid system development, evolution, architecture, integration zones, technological advances, and business models, a clearer picture of how these entities are intertwined emerges. Several case studies of deployed microgrids will showcase the cutting-edge solutions they apply. The future implications of this new energy revolution will be highlighted and shown to create an energy generation equilibrium and the significant role played by microgrids in this new energy revolution. Although many compilations of research work on microgrids have been previously presented by various reviewers, most of them are specific to an electrical or power quality-related issue, which addresses a discrete audience. This work only includes within its scope a general outlook of microgrids and the present-day challenges in its use of rural/urban renewable energy production and distribution. The results allowed for the researchers to conclude that microgrids have emerged as a great solution in situations where energy has to be transmitted from a decentralized system to a centralized system. Challenges will arise in the microgrid management and government laws and regulations if rectified microgrids can lead to an equilibrium between decentralized and centralized bulk energy networks.
Peer to peer (P2P) and blockchain are highly coupled in terms of decentralization and autonomous transactions. This paper designs a P2P power transaction mechanism based on block chain to meet the economic and security requirements of photovoltaic prosumer. Day-ahead and real-time P2P trading mechanism is designed. Fully open P2P trading mode and decentralized electricity price mechanism are adopted in day-ahead market, and P2P pool trading mode and electricity price mechanism based on supply/demand ratio are adopted in real-time market. In addition, smart contract rules based on blockchain Ethereum are designed to ensure safe operation and efficient intelligence on the blockchain platform. Finally, effectiveness and economy Prosumer P2P trading mechanism in IEEE 14-node simulation and verification of the design.
D. Jonathan Sebastian-Cardenas, Sri Nikhil Gupta Gourisetti, Peng Wang, Jesse Smith · 6 authors
Within the field of Transactive Energy Systems (TES), there is an active need for tools that can support and accelerate the development of these new grid solutions. Among the many tools available, blockchain stands out as a viable instrument that can help researchers develop decentralized, autonomous, and tamper-resistant grid applications. In this work, we explore the use of smart contracts (SCs), a subset of blockchain technology, and analyze their applicability to facilitating the implementation of TES solutions. In particular, we focus on presenting areas of opportunity and potential drawbacks, along with use cases that can benefit from this technology building upon previous research developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and other research organizations. This work builds upon the fundamentals of TES and smart contract technology to develop a series of software templates that can be used by industry to build TES-oriented grid solutions. These templates are intended to be platform agnostic and take into consideration the unique properties of SCs and distributed ledger storage mechanisms to ensure actual code implementations remain aware of the limitations of the technology. The proposed templates have the potential to enable software architects to mix and match components to satisfy their application requirements, thereby reducing the number of resources required to implement blockchain-based solutions. These templates are divided into two main components—data and behavioral models. The data models are intended to help software engineers represent the underlying grid objects along with their properties in a ledger-based storage system. The behavioral models are used to describe the processes and actions that actors within a system must perform to achieve a given outcome such as registering an asset, placing a bid, and performing bid clearances. These two components are documented in a Unified Modeling Language (UML) format and are intended for use in SC-based implementations, with special behavioral considerations to account for the asynchronous properties of the underlying ledger and the typical execution model of smart contracts. Finally, future research ideas and potential extensions to this work are discussed. In particular, known limitations and potential improvements of the developed product are identified and expected to be addressed in future revisions of the template model.
Energy systems are transitioning towards a decentralized and decarbonized paradigm with the integration of distributed renewable energy sources. Blockchain smart contracts have the increasing potential to facilitate the transition of energy systems due to the natures of automation, standardization, and selfenforcement. This paper proposes a Blockchain smart contracts based platform to manage the grid connection for both large scale generation companies and individual prosumers (both producers and consumers). Through evaluating the capacity margin and carbon intensity for each substation or feeder in power networks, the incurred connection fee and low carbon incentive are formulated for incentivizing the local energy balance and connection of renewable energy sources. Case studies testify the effectiveness for encouraging the low carbon grid connection.
In the last few years, electric utility companies have increasingly invested into transactive energy systems. This trend was primarily caused by the integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) and internet-of-things (IoT) devices into their existing distribution networks. Influenced by the general interest in blockchain technologies, many industry specialists are considering new, more efficient peer-to-peer market structures for DERs. Since blockchain-based energy exchanges can automate transactions between their members and provide increased levels of security thanks to smart contracts, these new initiatives may eventually revolutionize how customers interact with utility companies. In this paper, we explore the trade-off between cost and traceability in the form of on-chain and off-chain solutions. We also propose ZipZap, a first step towards a blockchain-based local smart grid system. ZipZap is an ERC-1155 compliant solution with four different prototypes: Heavyweight, Featherweight, Lightweight and Weightless. The first three prototypes were developed in Solidity and deployed using Ethereum. Heavyweight is fully on-chain, whereas Featherweight and Lightweight showcase various levels of hybridization. Weightless, in turn, was deployed using Quorum, a gas-free alternative to Ethereum. Our evaluation uses realistic parameters and measures the impact of different types of metadata storage scopes, with some Ethereum prototypes showcasing gas cost reductions of more than 97% in comparison to our fully on-chain baseline.