Blockchain Research and Development Activities Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and Utility Sector

Sydni Credle, Nor Farida Harun, Grant Johnson, Jeremy Lawrence, Christina Lawson, Jason Hollern, Mayank Malik, Sri Nikhil Gupta Gourisetti, D. Jonathan Sebastian-Cardenas (), Beverly E. Johnson, Tony Markel and David Tucker
Additional contact information
Sydni Credle: National Energy Technology Laboratory, Morgantown, WV 26507, USA
Nor Farida Harun: National Energy Technology Laboratory, Morgantown, WV 26507, USA
Grant Johnson: Ames National Laboratory, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Jeremy Lawrence: Electric Power Research Institute, Charlotte, NC 28262, USA
Christina Lawson: Electric Power Research Institute, Charlotte, NC 28262, USA
Jason Hollern: Electric Power Research Institute, Charlotte, NC 28262, USA
Mayank Malik: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
Sri Nikhil Gupta Gourisetti: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
D. Jonathan Sebastian-Cardenas: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
Beverly E. Johnson: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
Tony Markel: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA
David Tucker: National Energy Technology Laboratory, Morgantown, WV 26507, USA

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-49

Abstract: This article provides an in-depth analysis of blockchain research in the energy sector, focusing on projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and comparing them with industry-funded initiatives. A total of 110 funded activities within the U.S. power industry were successfully tracked and mapped into a newly developed categorization framework. This framework is designed to help research agencies to systematically understand their funded portfolio. Such characterization is expected to help them make effective investments, identify research gaps, measure impact, and advance technological progress to meet national goals. In line with this need, the proposed framework proposes a 2-D categorization matrix to systematically classify blockchain efforts within the energy sector.Under the proposed framework, the Energy System Domain serves as the primary classification dimension, categorizing use cases into 30 distinct applications. The second dimension, Blockchain Properties , captures the specific needs and functionalities provided by Blockchain technology. The aim was to capture blockchain’s applicability and functionality: where and why blockchain? Principles behind the selection of the viewpoint dimensions were carefully defined based on consensus obtained through the Blockchain for Optimized Security and Energy Management (BLOSEM) project. The mapped results show that activities within the Grid Automation , Coordination , and Control (31.8%), Marketplaces and Trading (25.5%), Foundational Blockchain Research (19.1%), and Supply Chain Management (17.3%) domains have been actively pursued to date. The three leading specific use case applications were identified as Transactive Energy Management for Marketplaces and Trading , Asset Management for Supply Chain Management , and Fundamental Blockchain for Foundational Blockchain Research. The Marketplaces and Trading and Retail Services Enablement domains stood out as being favored by industry by a factor greater than 2 (2.3 and 2.6, respectively), yet there seemed to be little to zero investment from DOE. Approximately 76% of the total projects prioritized Immutability , Identity Management , and Decentralization and/or Disintermediation compared to Asset Digitization and/or Tokenization, Automation , and Privacy and/or Anonymity . The greatest discrepancies between DOE and industry were in Asset Digitization and/or Tokenization and Automation . The industry efforts (36% in Asset Digitization/Tokenization and 22% in Automation ) was 14 times and 2.4 times, respectively, more intensive than the DOE-sponsored efforts, indicating a significant discrepancy in industry versus government priorities. Overall, quantifying DOE-sponsored projects and industry activities through mapping provides clarity on portfolio investments and opportunities for future research.

Keywords: blockchain; categorization framework; use case application; energy system domain; blockchain portfolio; blockchain properties (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: 2025
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