Microgrid-Blockchain-Project

This project was undertaken for my dissertation during my MSc of Artificial Intelligence. This work will investigate the use of peer-to-peer energy market platform to be used within microgrids as a contingency to solve these problems. The rise of prosumers, both consumers and producers, has been caused by the increasing affordability to invest in domestic solar systems. Hence, consumers and prosumers can trade within their communities to better manage their demand and supply as well as providing socio-economic benefts. The use of blockchain technologies is implemented to develop a energy trading market platform while following a micromarket setup based on the Brooklyn Microgrid project use case. The Ethereum blockchain technology is used and a cost analysis comparing to the current energy system to the blockchain micromarket setup is presented. The continuous double auction and uniform-price double sided auction mechanisms are implemented with two different architectures. A simulation of these are experimented on the micromarket setup and differences are discussed. It is observed that the continuous double auction yields a more favourable mechanism to be implemented within the smart contract limitations of the blockchain, and offers a cheaper solution than using the current energy systems. Finally, it is concluded that blockchain technologies are an eligible technology to be used within the microgrid energy markets, as they provide a decentralised, trustless and secure information system, that fits the requirements for smart-grid integration