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PublicationBidding on a peer-to-peer energy market - an expoloratory field study(INFORMS, 2022-09-09)
Scopus© Citations 9 -
PublicationImplementing a blockchain-based local energy market: Insights on communication and scalability.(Elsevier, 2020-07-01)
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PublicationQuartierstrom-Implementation of a real world prosumer centric local energy market in Walenstadt, Switzerland(Cornell Univ., 2019-05)Prosumers in many regions are facing reduced feed-in tariffs and currently have no possibility to influence the level of remuneration for the locally produced solar energy. Peer-to-peer communities may offer an alternative to the feed-in tariff model by enabling prosumers to directly sell their solar energy to local consumers (possibly at a rate that is beneficial for both consumer and prosumer). The Quartierstrom project investigates a transactional energy system that manages the exchange and remuneration of electricity between consumers, prosumers and the local electric grid provider in the absence of intermediaries. This whitepaper describes the prototypical real-world system being implemented in the town of Walenstadt, Switzerland, with 37 participating households. The community members of this pilot project pay a reduced tariff for grid usage if the electricity produced by a prosumer is sold to another community member, which is located on the same voltage or grid level downstream a substation1. Such a tariff structure incentivizes local balancing, i.e. locally produced energy can be consumed locally whenever possible to avoid costs from higher grid levels. The blockchain is a novel technology suitable to log the produced and consumed units of energy within a community, making it possible to implement market places. In those marketplaces, both prosumers and consumers can indicate a price at which they are willing to sell / buy locally produced solar energy without the intermediation of a utility. The key goals of this project are the assessment of A) the technical, economical and ecological feasibility of a blockchain-based community energy system regarding local utilization of solar energy, grid quality and energy efficiency and B) resulting dynamics regarding local market prices and user acceptance.Type:Journal:
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PublicationPeer-to-Peer Energy Trading in the Real World: Market Design and Evaluation of the User Value Proposition( 2019-12)Electricity markets are experiencing a shift to a more decentralized structure with small distributed renewable generation sources like residential photovoltaic systems. Simultaneously, information systems have driven the development of a “sharing economy” also in the electricity sector and can enable previously passive consumers to directly trade solar electricity in local communities. However, it is unclear how such peer-to-peer (P2P) markets should be designed to create value for the user. In a framed field experiment, we design and implement Switzerland’s first real-world P2P electricity market in a local community. We examine its value proposition for the users and elicit user preferences by enabling the participants to directly influence buy and sell prices for local solar energy. The collected empirical evidence suggests that the P2P exchange is beneficial for users and provides incentives for generation of renewable energy. The results create valuable insights for the design and diffusion of future energy markets.
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PublicationExperimental bandwidth benchmarking for P2P markets in blockchain managed microgrids(Elsevier, 2018-09-30)As a basic building block of the smart grid, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) is substantial for gathering and sending consumption and production data of consumers. The applications facilitated by blockchain technology like local peer to peer (P2P) markets challenge the centrally organized utility industry with its disruptive potential and rely also heavily on AMIs as data source. However, such technologies pose a number of engineering challenges in early stage pilot projects: Unlike centrally managed AMIs, local P2P markets in particular require AMIs to exchange data with their peer devices, which increases the communication requirements due to the decentral nature of blockchain networks. In this paper, we compare the bandwidth requirement of real-time AMI with the requirements for a blockchain managed peer to peer market. By benchmarking both a normal operation and a high throughput scenario we find a ten times higher demand in bandwidth of the blockchain-based solution compared to real-time AMI and select the appropriate communication technology for an upcoming field test.
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PublicationDesign and implementation of a blockchain multi-energy system(Energy Informatics, 2018-10-10)The growing adoption of photovoltaic panels on roof-tops increases the pressure on grid operators for offsetting surplus or deficiency in generation. A multi-carrier energy system allows energy to be converted and stored using different energy carriers, thus relieving the stress from grid operators. However, these systems require efficient operation to unfold their full potential. This paper proposes a novel blockchain-enabled process to coordinate, allocate, and settle intra-day energy transactions in a district multi-carrier energy system with electricity and heating sub-networks. An incentive mechanism is designed for an optimal allocation of local green energy generation. The mechanism is implemented for the Ethereum blockchain and operates fully on-chain. The design leaves energy producers the freedom to choose their preferred pricing strategy for profit maximization while restricting them to behavior favoring the common good. We test three pricing strategies, with different levels of knowledge on users’ pricing behaviors, that energy producers may adopt. The price-availability-based allocation system guarantees consumers the lowest possible cost.
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PublicationEthereum Blockchain based Smart Contract as a Decentralised Sharing App(ACM, 2016-11-07)The sharing economy, the business of collectively using pri- vately owned objects and services, has fuelled some of the fastest growing businesses of the past years. However, popular sharing platforms like Airbnb or Uber exhibit several draw- backs: a cumbersome sign up procedure, lack of participant privacy, overbearing terms and conditions, and significant fees for users. We demonstrate a Decentralised App (DAPP) for the sharing of everyday objects based on a smart contract on the Ethereum blockchain. This contract enables users to register and rent devices without involvement of a Trusted Third Party (TTP), disclosure of any personal information or prior sign up to the service. With increasing distribution of cryptocurrencies the use of smart contracts such as proposed in this paper has the potential to revolutionise the sharing economy.
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PublicationLokalPower: Enabling Local Energy Markets with User-Driven Engagement(ACM, 2018-04)With the advent of decentralised energy resources (DERs), there has been increased pressure on classic grid infrastructure to manage non-dispatchable resources. In face of these challenges, microgrids provide a new way of managing and distributing DERs and are characterised as core building blocks of smart grids. In this context blockchain technology enables transaction-based systems for keeping track of energy flows in between producing and consuming parties. However, such systems are not intuitive and introduce challenges for the user»s understanding. In our current work, we introduce a user-centric approach to utilise a transactional data structure, providing transparency and understanding for when and from where electric energy is consumed. We present our approach for an engaging user interface and a preliminary study with feedback from solar installation owners and close with remarks on our future research plans.
Scopus© Citations 24 -
PublicationUser behavior in a real-world peer-to-peer electricity market(Elsevier, 2020)
Scopus© Citations 82
