Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) are gaining considerable attention to reduce human dependence on fossil fuels and minimize harmful gases in our surroundings. Existing literature on energy trading focused on providing renewable energy to smart homes, smart buildings, and smart offices to fulfill their daily energy demands obtained from RESs. Besides, Electric Vehicles (EVs) use either power grid energy or a battery exchange mechanism to recharge their low EV batteries. The continuous use of power grids to recharge low EV batteries causes a significant load on power grids. Due to this, power grids are inadequate to fulfill the ever-increasing demands of EVs in the future. In this context, we propose a Blockchain Enabled Energy Trading (BEET) framework oriented EV charging. A system architecture of the BEET framework is presented to describe the functioning of each layer and its associated entities. We formulate an optimization problem that maximizes the revenue in the energy trading process using a knapsack optimization. Smart contracts are designed on the consortium blockchain network to sell and buy renewable energy to aggregators and from producers, respectively. Moreover, an EV charging mechanism is designed to intelligently allocate renewable energy to consumers at a low price. A comparative analysis is performed with state-of-the-art works in terms of charging price, revenue, throughput, and latency. The results indicate that the BEET framework outperforms compared to state-of-the-art works to address the renewable energy demand problem to realize E-mobility. It is clarified that the data considered in the experimental analysis were obtained from statistical simulations in realistic E-Mobility environment settings.
In recent years, user-side energy storage has begun to develop. At the same time, independent energy storage stations are gradually being commercialized. The user side puts shared energy storage under coordinated operation, which becomes a new energy utilization scheme. To solve the many challenges that arise from this scenario, this paper proposes a community power coordinated dispatching model based on blockchain technology that considers shared energy storage and demand response. First of all, this paper analyzes the operating architecture of a community coordinated dispatching system under blockchain. Combined with the electricity consumption mode of communities using a shared energy storage station service, the interactive operation mechanism and system framework of block chain for coordinated dispatching are designed. Secondly, with the goal of minimizing the total cost of coordinated operation of the community alliance, an optimal dispatching model is established according to the relevant constraints, such as the community demand response, shared energy storage system operation and so on. Thirdly, the blockchain application scheme of community coordinated dispatching is designed, including the incentive mechanism based on the improved Shapley value allocation coordination cost, and the consensus algorithm based on the change rate of users’ electricity utilization utility function. Finally, the simulation results show that the proposed community coordinated dispatching strategy in this paper can effectively reduce the economic cost, reduce the pressure on the power grid, and promote the consumption of clean energy. The combination of the designed cost allocation and other methods with blockchain technology solves the trust problem and promotes the innovation of the power dispatching mode. This study can provide some references for the application of blockchain technology in user-side energy storage and shared energy storage.
Hydrogen has recently been proposed as a versatile energy carrier to contribute to archiving universal access to clean cooking. In hard-to-reach rural settings, decentralized produced hydrogen may be utilized (i) as a clean fuel via direct combustion in pure gaseous form or blended with Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), or (ii) via power-to-hydrogen-to-power (P2H2P) to serve electric cooking (e-cooking) appliances. Here, we present the first techno-economic evaluation of hydrogen-based cooking solutions. We apply mathematical optimization via energy system modeling to assess the minimal cost configuration of each respective energy system on technical and economic measures under present and future parameters. We further compare the potential costs of cooking for the end user with the costs of cooking with traditional fuels. Today, P2H2P-based e-cooking and production of hydrogen for utilization via combustion integrated into the electricity supply system have almost equal energy system costs to simultaneously satisfy the cooking and electricity needs of the isolated rural Kenyan village studied. P2H2P-based e-cooking might become advantageous in the near future when improving the energy efficiency of e-cooking appliances. The economic efficiency of producing hydrogen for utilization by end users via combustion benefits from integrating the water electrolysis into the electricity supply system. More efficient and cheaper hydrogen technologies expected by 2050 may improve the economic performance of integrated hydrogen production and utilization via combustion to be competitive with P2H2P-based e-cooking. The monthly costs of cooking per household may be lower than the traditional use of firewood and charcoal even today when applying the current life-line tariff for the electricity consumed or utilizing hydrogen via combustion. Driven by likely future technological improvements and the expected increase in traditional and fossil fuel prices, any hydrogen-based cooking pathway may be cheaper for end users than using charcoal and firewood by 2030, and LPG by 2040. The results suggest that providing clean cooking in rural villages could economically and environmentally benefit from utilizing hydrogen. However, facing the complexity of clean cooking projects, we emphasize the importance of embedding the results of our techno-economic analysis in holistic energy delivery models. We propose useful starting points for future aspects to be investigated in the discussion section, including business and financing models.
Irvylle Cavalcante, Jamilson Júnior, Jônatas Augusto Manzolli, L.A.L. de Almeida · 7 authors
In the present day, it is crucial for individuals and companies to reduce their carbon footprints in a society more self-conscious about climate change and other environmental issues. In this sense, public and private institutions are investing in photovoltaic (PV) systems to produce clean energy for self-consumption. Nevertheless, an essential part of this energy is wasted due to lower consumption during non-business periods. This work proposes a novel framework that uses solar-generated energy surplus to charge external electric vehicles (EVs), creating new business opportunities. Furthermore, this paper introduces a novel marketplace platform based on blockchain technology to allow energy trading between institutions and EV owners. Since the energy provided to charge the EV comes from distributed PV generation, the energy’s selling price can be more attractive than the one offered by the retailers—meaning economic gains for the institutions and savings for the users. A case study was carried out to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed solution and its economic advantages. Given the assumptions considered in the study, 3213 EVs could be fully charged by one institution in one year, resulting in over EUR 45,000 in yearly profits. Further, the economic analysis depicts a payback of approximately two years, a net present value of EUR 33,485, and an internal rate of return of 61%. These results indicate that implementing the proposed framework could enable synergy between institutions and EV owners, providing clean and affordable energy to charge vehicles.
With the realization of the “dual carbon” goal, urban public transport with an increasing proportion of new energy vehicles will become the key subject to achieve the carbon emission reduction goal. Under the new background of deep coupling between transport networks and power grids, it is of great significance to study the carbon-trading mode of urban public transport participation in promoting the development of new energy vehicles and improving the operating efficiency and low-carbon level of the “energy-transport” system. In this paper, based on blockchain technology, a framework for urban public transportation networks to participate in carbon trading is established to solve the current problems of urban public transportation’s insufficient motivation to reduce emissions, lax operation strategy and lack of carbon-trading matching mechanisms. Finally, Hyperledger Fabric was selected as the simulation platform, and we simulated the model through the calculation example. The results show that the proposed scheme can effectively improve the operating efficiency of urban public transport and reduce its operating costs and carbon emissions. In addition, policy recommendations on carbon price, carbon quota and penalties are proposed to improve the institutional system of the carbon-trading market.
While blockchain and distributed ledger technology offer immense potential for applications in transparency, security, efficiency, censorship resistance, and more, they have been criticized due to the energy-intensive nature of the proof of work consensus algorithm, particularly in the context of Bitcoin mining. We systematically explore the state-of-the-art regarding the relationship between Bitcoin mining and grid decarbonization. We specifically focus on the role of flexible load response through proof of work mining as a potential contributor to renewable energy penetration and net decarbonization of the energy grid. The existing literature has not comprehensively examined this area, leading to conflicting views. We address the gap, analyzing the capabilities and limitations of Bitcoin mining in providing flexible load response services. Our findings show that renewable-based mining could potentially drive a net-decarbonizing effect on energy grids, although key adaptations in mining practices are needed to fully realize this potential. Overall, the paper suggests a re-evaluation of the environmental impact of Bitcoin mining, highlighting its potential role as a facilitator for renewable energy expansion, and decarbonization more broadly.
Hongxu Huang, Zhengmao Li, L. P. Mohasha Isuru Sampath, Jiawei Yang · 8 authors
In this paper, a blockchain-enabled distributed market framework is proposed for the bi-level carbon and energy trading between coal mine integrated energy systems (CMIESs) and a virtual power plant (VPP) with network constraints. To maximize the profits of these two entities and describe their complicated interactions in the market, the bi-level trading problem is formulated as a Stackelberg game considering integrating the energy market and the “cap-and-trade” carbon market mechanism. Meanwhile, in the CMIES, energy recovery units and belt conveyors can be flexibly scheduled and the pumped hydroelectric storage in the VPP is scheduled for energy management. To tackle uncertainties from PV outputs, the joint trading, and the energy management is solved by the distributionally robust optimization (DRO) method. In addition, for participants' privacy, the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) - based DRO algorithm is applied to solve the trading problem in a distributed framework. Further, the Proof-of-Authority (PoA) blockchain is deployed to develop a safe and anonymous market platform. Finally, case studies along with numerous comparison cases are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Simulation results indicate that the proposed method can effectively reduce the system operation cost and regional carbon emission, reduce the conservativeness and protect the privacy of each participant.
Tao Zhang, Jianhua Yang, Kaiyuan Jin, Tianjun Jing
Abstract With the increasing penetration of distributed photovoltaic generation (DPVG) in the rural distribution network, some problems such as abandoning solar energy and increasing voltage fluctuation have become more and more prominent. In order to promote local or nearby power consumption of the photovoltaic (PV) generation in the distribution network, the profit strategy is given with an optimal electricity price based on blockchain technology (BCT) by considering the topology, the load fluctuation of the distribution network and the reputation value of agricultural park consumers. The electricity price in the blockchain (BC) transaction is used as an intermediate variable to establish the revenue model for the PV generation, the agricultural park consumers and the distribution network. The power trading mechanism of the PV generation is constructed in the decentralized management agency of the BC. The maximum overall comprehensive income of the PV generation and the park consumers is used as the objective function, and the Stackelberg game theory is applied to prove the existence of the optimal game strategy in the transaction. The local power consumption method of the PV generation is simulated with the optimal electricity price in the IEEE 33‐node distribution network. The problem of abandoning solar energy is effectively relieved within an appropriate voltage limitation, and the comprehensive benefit of the PV generation and the park consumers is raised in the distribution network.
This paper describes a blockchain-based approach for sharing data among all the actors involved in Vehicle-to-Grid programs. The shared information is used both for monitoring the health status of the vehicle’s battery and for remuneration in Vehicle-to-Grid programs. A blockchain platform and a set of appropriate smart contracts have been developed for supporting the interactions among the different actors and for creating battery usage profiles. To protect sensitive data, we limit the visibility scope of such data only to subsets of actors using blockchain channels. This approach preserves the privacy of the car owner on one hand and guarantees the compliance to correct charging and discharging modes, on the other hand, by using dedicated smart contracts to manage data for each of the channels. The approach here described proposes and develops a blockchain-based ecosystem for efficiently managing electric vehicles especially when these are called to provide electrical grid services, such as it happens for Vehicle-to-Grid programs. In this case, it is indeed possible that the battery undergoes an accelerated aging and thus certified recording of charging data for legal liability is one of the issues here dealt with. When possible, data are collected from multiple sources (e.g. the charging station and the Electric Vehicle) and from different parties with conflicting interests for validating data and breaking data silos that are within the car, the charging stations and the Battery Management System.
Liaqat Ali, M. Imran Azim, Jan Peters, Vivek Bhandari · 8 authors
This paper presents the application of a community battery energy storage system (CBESS)-integrated microgrid (MG) in a blockchain-enabled local energy market (LEM). The proposed LEM balances the community energy requirement while facilitating frequent peer-to-peer (P2P) energy transactions between several energy users in the presence of both energy supplier and energy operator. The architecture is formulated by taking a number of local market and network constraints, that include residential battery energy storage system (RBESS) constraints; CBESS constraints; P2P traded price constraints; P2P traded power constraints; margin constraints of the stakeholders; power grid export and import constraints; and network energy balance constraints, so as to not only incentivise energy users but also reduce import/export from/to power grid while keeping the margins of energy supplier and energy operator unaffected. Different types of transactions data including energy users’ P2P pricing bids and P2P traded energy volume are also stored in the blockchain database. Further, the developed LEM framework is also validated through a case study executed on an actual Australian power grid network, comprising 260 residential energy users; two energy suppliers; an energy operator; and a CBESS, and the performance of the proposed P2P trading-based LEM strategy is compared with the existing business-as-usual (BAU) that directs energy users to buy/sell energy at the time-of-use (ToU)/ feed-in-tariff (FiT) rate. The extensive and comparative simulation results confirm the superior performance of the proposed LEM mechanism in terms of minimising energy users’ electricity bill; lowering power grid import and export; and retaining margins of energy suppliers and the energy operator; and thus, emphasise its application suitability in the current electricity market.
Godwin C. Okwuibe, Thomas Brenner, Peter Tzscheutschler, Thomas Hamacher
Local energy markets (LEMs) provide opportunity to handle the challenges arising from the lower grid level while using the traditional top-down approach to manage distributed generated renewable energy resources. Blockchain based local energy markets (LEMs) have been introduced in recent years as a way to enable local consumers/prosumers to trade their energy locally in a distributed and highly secured manner in an LEM. However, there are still some challenges regarding the main factors that can drive local consumers/prosumers to participate in a blockchain based LEM, optimal community size and prosumer to consumer ratio for an efficient LEM. Also, there is still no information on how the quantifying factors for participation on a blockchain based LEM can affect the performance of an LEM. This paper presents a survey and simulation based analysis of quantifying factors for participation in a blockchain based LEM. The survey was distributed among local consumers/prosumers and a total of 261 responses were received from the responders. The results from the responders were analyzed using a Python code based statistical analysis model. The simulation based analysis was conducted using a community based LEM model and evaluated using data received from a combination of German household profiles and standard load profiles. The survey results showed that the major drive for local consumers/prosumers to participate on blockchain based LEM is their willingness to support renewable energy integration, transparency and trust offered by a blockchain network. On the other hand, the simulation based analysis showed that small and medium communities with prosumers to consumer ratios between 0.3 to 0.5 create more economic and technical benefits for local consumers/prosumers compared to large communities. The community based simulation results were modelled together with the survey results to determine how the individual quantifying factors for participating in a blockchain based LEM can affect the performance of an LEM.
Wenshuai Ma, Junjie Hu, Yao Li, Zhuoming Fu · 6 authors
Abstract With global concerns about carbon emissions, the proportion of renewable energy generation worldwide is increasing, and the demand for flexible resources in power systems is growing. In recent years, as a clean means of transportation, the number of electric vehicles has increased, and the optimal scheduling of electric vehicles has become a research hotspot. The rise of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and other innovative technologies has enriched research on optimal scheduling of electric vehicles. To reveal the latest developments in electric vehicle optimal scheduling studies, this paper summarises the application of state‐of‐the‐art technologies, including deep learning, deep reinforcement learning, and blockchain technology in the optimal scheduling of electric vehicles. Moreover, the advantages and disadvantages of various technical applications are highlighted. Finally, considering the shortcomings and developmental status of applications of the above three technologies, some suggestions for future research directions are proposed.
With the rapid emergence of smart grids, charging coordination is considered the intrinsic actor that merges energy storage units (ESUs) into the grid in addition to its substantial role in boosting the resiliency and efficiency of the grid. However, it suffers from several challenges beginning with dependency on the energy service provider (ESP) as a single entity to manage the charging process, which makes the grid susceptible to several types of attacks such as a single point of failure or a denial-of-service attack (DoS). In addition, to schedule charging, the ESUs should submit charging requests including time to complete charging (TCC) and battery state of charge (SoC), which may disclose serious information relevant to the consumers. The analysis of this data could reveal the daily activities of those consumers. In this paper, we propose a privacy-preservation charging coordination scheme using a blockchain. The blockchain achieves decentralization and transparency to defeat the security issues related to centralized architectures. The privacy preservation will be fulfilled using a verifiable aggregation mechanism integrated with an aggregated signing technique to identify the untrusted aggregator and assure the data source and the identity of the sender. Security and performance evaluations are performed, including off-chain and on-chain experiments and simulations, to assess the security and efficiency of the scheme.
A. F. M. Suaib Akhter, Tawsif Zaman Arnob, Ekra Binta Noor, Selman Hızal · 5 authors
The popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) is constantly increasing, as they use relatively greener, sustainable energy. However, it is a fact that the charging stations for EVs are yet to meet the demand. It could be a great solution if a peer-to-peer (P2P) charging system could be initiated by anyone who wants to make their garage's charge points publicly available for commercial purposes, named a home charging station (HCS). In this work, our idea is to bring interested charging stations under a network of nodes and a blockchain-based management system, where the blockchain is responsible for ensuring the authenticity of both the charging stations and charge receiver. A cryptocurrency-based payment system has also been proposed to ensure transactions' security, integrity, transparency, and immutability. A reputation management system is applied to maintain the quality of service. Miners with high processing power are used to alleviate lagging during block creation, supported by edge servers. The proposed system has been implemented by using virtual machines. A theoretical analysis is presented to assess the compatibility and possible cost requirements to implement the system in a real-world scenario.
M R Jivtesh, Rohit Mathew Samuel, M R Gaushik, Siddhi Menon · 6 authors
Blockchain is the underlying technology for cryptocurrencies. Reliable machine-to-machine automatic transactions, such as auctions, bidding, and payments, utilise the immense potential of blockchain technology. Researchers are exploring blockchain-based applications for automobiles and transportation, such as electric vehicle (EV) charging and highway user fee payment. The use of blockchain eliminates the need for third parties in transactions. This paper presents a proof of concept for using EVs as energy storage in a smart grid system. Generators, consumers, and distributed energy resources (DER), such as solar and wind, make up the elements of a smart grid. We propose storing the surplus power generated by DER in the electric vehicle's battery. When the generation is less, or there is high demand, these EVs can supply the stored energy back to the grid. We use blockchain smart contracts and Ethereum cryptocurrency to monitor and monetise the process. We also make a cost comparison of conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and EVs, analysing the financial benefits of employing the suggested method in EV charging instead of more conventional charging methods.
Yao Suo Yao Suo, Yingsen Wang Yao Suo, Shichao Luo Yingsen Wang, Qianqian Yang Shichao Luo · 5 authors
<p>Aiming at the problems of difficult charging, long waiting time and energy loss of IoEV (Internet of electric vehicles) during peak charging period, we design a V2V (vehicle to vehicle) energy trading model to simulate the energy trading process. Considering the problems of malicious node attacks and privacy protection, we combine the V2V energy transaction model with a federated chain and explore a distributed ledger to record the V2V energy transaction process. In addition, we design a credibility mechanism to initialize nodes according to their comprehensive strength and select master nodes based on their behavioral performance of participating in consensus, which ensures the reliability of the consensus. Based on this, we propose a more efficient and promising consensus algorithm SV-PBFT (shapley value-PBFT), which simplifies the consensus process, reduces the communication overhead, and improves the consensus efficiency. The SV-PBFT consensus algorithm is used to replace the traditional consensus algorithm in V2V energy trading. The proposed SV-PBFT algorithm is validated by extensive simulation experiments, and numerical results are provided to confirm the good performance of SV-PBFT in V2V energy trading models.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>
Social Internet of Vehicles (SIoV) falls under the umbrella of social Internet of Things (IoT), where vehicles are socially connected to other vehicles and roadside units that can reliably share information and services with other social entities by leveraging the capabilities of 5G technology, which brings new opportunities and challenges, e.g., collaborative power trading can address the mileage anxiety of electric vehicles. However, it relies on a trusted central party for scheduling, which introduces performance bottlenecks and cannot be set up in a distributed network, in addition, the lack of transparency in state-of-the-art Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) power trading schemes can introduce further trust issues. In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based trustworthy collaborative power trading scheme for 5G-enabled social vehicular networks that uses a distributed market mechanism to introduce trusted power trading and avoids the dependence on a centralized dispatch center. Based on the game theory , we design the pricing and trading matching mechanism for V2V power trading to obtain maximum social welfare. We use blockchain to record power trading data for trusted pricing and use smart contracts for transaction matching. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in improving social welfare and reducing the load on the grid.
Maria Luisa Di Silvestre, P. Gallo, Giovani Lorenzo Restifo, Eleonora Riva Sanseverino · 6 authors
The Blorin project started at the end of 2019 to support the implementation of a blockchain platform to support the energy services provision from end users by means of Demand Response and Vehicle to Grid programs. The experimental part of the project is being carried out on two Mediterranean islands and inside the University campus in Palermo. Customized smart contracts have been designed to support the active participation of end users to regulation services for the two weak electrical grids of the islands in the view of a deep penetration of renewable energy in the two energy systems. In particular, the smart contract for remuneration accounts for the very special energy situation of islands where TSO, DSO, energy seller and aggregator collapse in a unique market actor. Moreover, in islands the electricity provision is typically still relying on diesel generators thus strongly connecting the Demand Response programs benefit to the reduction of fuel consumption, as an effect of increased efficiency of diesel generators. Due to the critical international situation and to the climate crisis, fossil fuels get more and more costly, thus a speed up of the energy transition in small islands is highly needed. This paper addresses the problem of designing a customized smart contract for remuneration of Demand Response service provision in small islands.
Nowadays, EVs are rapidly increasing in popularity, and are accepted as the vehicles of the future all over the world. The most important components are their battery and charging systems. The energy capacity of EVs’ batteries has a significant potential to supply different energy requirements. Therefore, EVs must be designed in accordance with bidirectional power flow, and Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) should be upgraded as Electric Vehicle Power Exchange Equipment (EVPE). This power exchange infrastructure can be called Vehicle-to-Anything (V2X). V2X will also be the key solution for energy grids of the future that will turn into a much larger and smarter system with the help of emerging digitalization technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), and the Internet of Things (IoT). This study introduces a multi-layer Cyber–Physical Power Systems (CPPS) framework to explore the potential of V2X technologies allowing bidirectional charging. In addition, the impact of e-mobility is discussed from the V2X perspective. V2X has the potential to provide more practical use of electric vehicles and to bring advantages to the user in terms of both economy and comfort, thus accelerating the transformation of e-mobility and making it easier to accept.
This paper presents a method to implement cooperative Demand Side Management (DSM) approaches over a distributed communication network. Our method combines a decentralized DSM approach called Profile Steering with two distributed consensus mechanisms Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS). We make use of a network manager to moderate the network and a distributed ledger system to store the power profiles from each planning period.We evaluate our approach using publicly-available real data from 25 houses. We successfully implemented our distributed approach in Python using JSON files as blocks and performed time-performance evaluations of this implementation. We show that, distributed DSM for day-ahead planning using blockchain concepts is possible and adds an overhead of only 0.98 seconds and 3.99 seconds in the case of PoW and PoS respectively.
The emerging demand for electric vehicles in urban cities leads to the need to install a huge number of charging stations. With this requirement, electric vehicle coordination and scheduling at charging stations in real-time becomes highly tedious. Thus, there is a need for an efficient scheduling mechanism for electric vehicle charging at charging stations. This paper proposes a novel blockchain and Internet of Things-based consensus mechanism called COME for secure and trustable electric vehicle scheduling at charging stations. The proposed mechanism is intending to resolve conflicts at charging stations. The integrated InterPlanetary File System protocol facilitates a cost-efficient mechanism with minimized bandwidth for electric vehicle scheduling. The proposed mechanism ensures that there is no loss for either the electric vehicle or the charging station. We formulate different scenarios for electric vehicle charging and apply different scheduling algorithms, including first-come first-served, longest remaining time first, and coalition game theory. The performance of the proposed COME consensus mechanism is estimated by comparing it with the practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance consensus protocol and traditional systems based on the charging demand, wait time, conflict resolution, scalability, and InterPlanetary File System bandwidth parameters. The performance results show that the proposed COME consensus mechanism ensures that electric vehicles can have their vehicle charged without any conflict and that the charging station can be satisfied in terms of profit. Moreover, the proposed COME consensus mechanism outperforms the both practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance consensus protocol and the traditional system in terms of scalability and conflict resolution along with additional parameters such as wait time, charging demand, and bandwidth analysis.