Green Button-based Blockchain Architecture for Smart Grids

传感器（如智能电表）在电网中的日益集成为新的应用和服务创造了可能性。与此同时，人们越来越需要让个人能够完全控制和监控其数据的使用。电动汽车和包括太阳能和风能在内的可再生资源的扩张为电网运营带来了新的要求和挑战，特别是在能源交易方面。因此，需要开发新技术来应对这些挑战。 该研究项目的主要目标是为智能电网设计和开发一个通用和可扩展的软件架构，以便为消费者提供管理和监控能源数据和服务的能力，为能源应用提供统一的接口，实现直接能源交易的新方式，并鼓励对能源负责的行为。将这种架构建立在区块链技术上，将通过不可变的分类账增强安全性和可追溯性，消除对中央机构或第三方验证交易的依赖，并通过分发和复制提高可靠性。 该项目的成果将为工业合作伙伴伦敦水电公司提供一个通用和可扩展的智能电网架构。这些成果将为能源消费者提供新的服务，例如控制对其数据的访问、监控其数据的使用以及作为能源应用的单点访问的能力。能源生产商将能够直接与消费者进行能源交易。该项目将使伦敦水电公司为电网的变化做好准备，加强其作为绿色按钮倡议领导者以及节能和环境可持续性管理者的地位。通过激励模式，该项目将有助于减少能源足迹，减少温室气体排放，并将为更可持续的未来做出贡献。预计它还将有助于智能电网和区块链领域的进步。参与该项目的HQP将获得在智能电网，区块链和大型数据集方面的工作经验，这将使它们对任何能源，大数据和区块链就业市场都有价值。

Increased integration of sensors such as smart meters in power grids has created possibilities for new application and services. At the same, time, there is an increased demand to enable individuals to fully control and monitor the use of their data. Expansion of electric vehicles and renewable resources including solar and wind power has introduced new requirements and challenges into electric grid operations especially in respect to energy trading. Consequently, there is a need to develop new technologies to address those challenges. The main objective of this research project is to design and develop a generic and extendable software architecture for smart grids in order to provide consumers with the ability to manage and monitor access to energy data and services, offer a unified interface for energy applications, enable novel ways for direct energy trading, and encourage energy-responsible behaviours. Grounding this architecture on the blockchain technologies will enhance security and traceability through the immutable ledger, remove reliance on a central authority or third party to verify transactions, and increase reliability through distribution and replication. The results from this project will benefit the industrial partner London Hydro by providing a generic and extendable architecture for smart grids. The outcomes will provide energy consumers with new services such as the ability to control access to their data, monitor the use of their data, and serve as single point of access to energy applications. Energy producers will be able to directly trade energy with consumers. This project will prepare London Hydro for the changes in electric grids, strengthen its position as a leader of the Green Button initiative and as a steward of energy conservation and environmental sustainability. Through incentive models, this project will help reduce energy footprint, reduce greenhouse gas emission and will contribute to a more sustainable future. It is also expected that it will contribute to advancements in the smart grid and blockchain domains. The HQP involved in this project will gain experience working on smart grids, blockchain and large data sets, which will make them valuable to any energy, Big Data, and blockchain job market.