Blockchain-Enabled Microgrids: Toward Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading and Flexible Demand Management

Maarten Evens, Patricia Ercoli () and Alessia Arteconi ()
Additional contact information
Maarten Evens: Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Patricia Ercoli: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e Scienze Matematiche, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Alessia Arteconi: Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 18, 1-24

Abstract: The energy transition to a decarbonized energy scenario leads toward distributed energy resources in which end users can both generate and consume renewable electricity. As a result, several challenges arise in terms of decentralized energy resource management and grid reliability. With microgrids, the cooperation of distributed energy resources is improved, and with peer-to-peer energy exchange and demand response programs, better energy allocation and flexible management of consumption loads according to the needs of supply systems are achieved. However, effective peer-to-peer energy allocation and flexible demand management in microgrids require the development of market structures, pricing mechanisms, and demand response strategies enabled by a reliable communication system. In this field, blockchain offers a decentralized communication tool for energy transactions that can provide transparency, security, and immutability. Therefore, this paper provides a comprehensive review of key factors for peer-to-peer energy trading and flexible energy demand management in blockchain-enabled microgrids. The goal is to provide guidelines on the basic components that are useful in ensuring efficient operation of microgrids. Finally, using a holistic view of technology adoption as a tool for peer-to-peer communication in microgrids, this paper reviews projects aimed at implementing blockchain in energy trading and flexible demand management.

Keywords: distributed energy resources; microgrids; blockchain; peer-to-peer energy trading; energy flexibility; transactive energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/18/6741/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/18/6741/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:18:p:6741-:d:1244576

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().