A blockchain-based infrastructure for reliable and cost-effective IoT-aided smart grids

One of the main trends in the evolution of smart grids is transactive energy, where distributed energy resources, e.g. smart meters, develop towards Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices enabling prosumers to trade energy directly among each other, without the need of involving any centralised third party. The expected advantages in terms of cost-effectiveness would be significant, indeed technical solutions are being investigated and large-scale deployment are planned by major utilities companies. However, introducing transactive energy in the smart grid entails new security threats, such as forging energy transactions. This paper introduces an infrastructure to support reliable and cost-effective transactive energy, based on blockchain and smart contracts, where functionalities are implemented as fully decentralised applications. Energy transactions are stored in the blockchain, whose high replication level ensures stronger guarantees against tampering. Energy auctions are carried out according to transparent rules implemented as smart contracts, hence visible to all involved actors. Threats deriving from known vulnerabilities of smart meters are mitigated by temporarily keeping out exposed prosumers and updating their devices as soon as security patches become available.