Blockchain-Enabled Transactive Home Energy Management Systems in Distribution Networks

Abstract

As home energy management systems (HEMSs) are implemented in homes as ways of reducing customer costs and providing demand response (DR) to the electric utility, homeowner’s privacy can be compromised. As part of the HEMS framework, homeowners are required to send load forecasts to the distribution system operator (DSO) for power balancing purposes. Submitting forecasts allows a platform for attackers to gain knowledge on user patterns based on the load information provided. The attacker could, for example, enter the home to steal valuable possessions when the homeowner is away. In this paper, we propose a framework using a smart contract within a private blockchain to keep customer information private when communicating with the DSO. The results show the HEMS users’ privacy is maintained, while the benefits of data sharing are obtained. Blockchain and its associated smart contracts may be a viable solution to security concerns in DR applications where load forecasts are sent to a DSO.

When Blockchain Meets Smart Grids: A Comprehensive Survey

“…• The decentralized nature of blockchain facilitates efficient energy management in smart grids, including energy distribution and demand side management. Many Wang et al [178] Market balance Crowdsourcing -Hyperledger Cutsem et al [172] Demand response Smart building PoW Ethereum Pop et al [144] Demand response Prosumer PoS Ethereum Ioannis et al [169] Demand response Prosumer -Ethereum Edmonds et al [30] Demand response Smart homes PoW Ethereum Shao et al [151] Connection freely Any iPoW Semi-center Tarek et al [9] Flow optimization Prosumer -Private Li et al [86] Flow optimization Prosumer dPoS Bitcoin Dang et al [21] Load optimization Big industrial PoW -George et al [77] Distribution Prosumer --Rafal et al [157] Distribution Any Hybrid Ethereum Fan et al [32] Flexible regulation Any dPoS Consortium Wu et al [184] Cost optimization Any PoC Bitcoin Afzal et al [2] Cost optimization Smart homes -Ethereum Yahaya et al [189] Cost optimization Smart homes PoW Ethereum solutions use blockchain to carry out distributed transformation of the smart grid so that it can adapt to the management of new distributed energy sources. Distributed management can realize the decentralization of management rights and solve the centralized management problems of traditional power grids, which can facilitate the conversion of consumers to prosumers.…”

“…The results show that this scheme is suitable in a distributed environment with high power consumption. Edmonds et al [30] propose an energy management platform for smart homes to address demand response. They make use of smart contracts and propose a privacy protection mechanism based on a private blockchain.…”

Blockchain for Distributed Energy Resources Management and Integration

“…In this sense, blockchain has mainly contributed as a secure, private and brokerless way of linking these systems to the other paradigms mentioned above, where individual energy management has been combined with different market mechanisms and interaction with other users [19], [124]- [126], in order to mitigate different drawbacks related (e.g., privacy, security, high consumption costs, communication, maximizing self-consumption, among others). Therefore, this technology for this paradigm has not yet had as much relevance compared to the others presented in this paper.…”

An Ethereum-based wind power energy network contract management solution

“…However, the framework focuses on protecting the security of the transaction process, ignoring the security problems that may be caused in the process of operating permissions. Edmonds et al (2020) mentioned that the owners of home energy management system (hemss) need to send load forecast to the distribution system operator (DSO) to achieve the purpose of power balance. In the process of submitting prediction, the attacker can obtain the load information if he steals permission.…”