Engineering Innovation in
Smart Energy & Utilities
A research project that uses Blockchain to optimize energy distribution and integrate renewable sources, including intermittent ones, ensuring continuity of supply.
Approach & Solution
Approach
Considering electric power distribution process, particularly if it comes from renewable sources, the management and balancing of energy peaks in supply and demand is of fundamental importance, to ensure balanced and continuous provisioning, regardless of sources intermittence.
A smart and automated Demand Response (DR) solution can provide electricity Distribution System Operators (DSOs), in a cost-effective way, the necessary flexibility for integrating larger shares of intermittent Renewable Energy Sources, while not compromising the security of supply and network reliability and avoiding additional reinforcements of the existing grid.
However, Demand Response potential has been exploited to a very limited extent due to various technological, regulatory, economic barriers. Challenges for the eDREAM research project.
Solution
The solution is eDREAM, a research project coordinated by Engineering, aimed at creating an innovative framework, which will allow the managers of the electricity distribution systems (DSO) to employ different balanced external energy sources. The key is to use a scalable, secure, optimized and blockchain-based demand response software.
In detail:
Read the Press Release with final results
- The Demand Response software includes early detection of flexibility potential through the combination of aerial, LIDAR and thermal imaging from drones. In addition, it profiles and segments end users using Big Data analysis and visualization.
- The Distributed Ledger Technology ensures safe data handling, market-based microgrid control and near real time Demand Response verification, improving the traceability of fair transactions.
Read the Press Release with final results
Results
Balanced management of demand and supply peaks
More reliable and secure electric power distribution
Safe and optimal management of Big Data
Project value
Innovation Process performance
Enabling Technologies
Blockchain IoT
Engineering proprietary products & other technologies
Ethereum Blockchain Solidity TRUFFLE Ganache BigChainDB FIWARE IoT Context Broker
Project Team
Research & Innovation