#Accelerating Smart Meter Deployment rule

[stopsmartmetersaustralia]

AEMC shirks its duty to ensure safety of accelerated smart meter rollout

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) made a draft rule in April that would accelerate the deployment of smart meters in much of Australia. Stakeholders were encouraged to ‘help shape the solution’ by lodging submissions on the draft rule by 30 May 2024. The AEMC claimed that this would contribute to well-informed, high quality rule changes. Sadly, this does not appear to be the…

[rowanzaga028-blog]

The Meridian Blockchain Using Distributed Ledger Technology In A Clean And Envirinmentally Friendly Way Based In Nova Scotia Canada And Cayman Island

Blockchain, the A great deal buzzed about technology that data transaction information on a dispersed ledger and presents the chance to embed automatic “smart contracts” has huge likely to greatly strengthen effectiveness and profitability in an array of sector sectors.

It is particularly applicable throughout the energy business, in which blockchain has a range of existing and rising apps that would transform how Strength is managed, maneuvered and paid out for, which could ultimately Enhance the overall performance on the grid and immigration help larger deployment of renewable Vitality.

To grasp the promise of blockchain for your renewable Power sector, we a short while ago sat down with ACORE board member and World-wide Director of New Strength and Blockchain at IBM, Neil Gerber (pictured proper).

In the next job interview, flippantly edited for clarity and duration, we mentioned the most common use-situations and applications which will optimize renewable Vitality deployment by blockchain together with other grid modernization technologies.

ACORE: How would you finest explain Blockchain, and what is IBM’s viewpoint on its apps within the Vitality industry?

Neil: When a lot of people think about blockchain, they think about a full decentralized technology which acts for a distributed ledger to history cryptocurrency transactions chronologically, securely and publicly. There isn't a just one trustworthy bash, similar to a financial institution or clearinghouse, that should be trusted to consummate transactions.

Having said that, there are literally a minimum of a few various types of blockchain apps; general public, non-public and hybrid. As while in the cryptocurrency instance, a community blockchain network has no obtain restrictions and is open up to Every person on the web – Feel Bitcoin and Ethereum – there is only one network, and everyone joins it to participate. Alternatively, non-public or permissioned blockchains are reason-built and aimed toward the business and business enterprise planet. Contributors and customers need to be granted entry to the network by its proprietors, who govern it, including by handling onboarding of new individuals, monetization methods, privateness and safety procedures plus much more. Finally, hybrid blockchains are permissioned networks working on community networks, like Ethereum.

IBM is mostly focused on implementations of permissioned networks using the HyperLedger Fabric, which happens to be an open up resource challenge inside the Linux Basis. Even so, we also are concerned in a number of assignments on different technological innovation platforms, like Ethereum.

While there are Numerous probable blockchain use circumstances for your Electrical power and utility industries, we're concentrating totally on 5 or 6 vital regions that we feel can definitely gain from the unique characteristics of the emerging technological innovation. These instances involve grid integration of dispersed Vitality methods (DER); Strength use disaggregation; renewable Strength credit rating (REC) and carbon credit administration; contract, asset, and function management; and cybersecurity.

While in the carbon credit history spot, we have been currently working with Veridium to assist them establish a more dependable, auditable and useful carbon credit history by using tokenization, which may be utilized to enable businesses decreased their carbon footprints transparently and cost-proficiently. We see a in the vicinity of-time period future exactly where many different inexperienced credit history instruments (RECs, GOs, RINs, REDDs, etcetera.) might be produced more fungible and worthwhile by way of the usage of interconnected blockchain networks.

ACORE: Do you're thinking that blockchain enables for more transparency into the worth of carbon in numerous marketplaces?

Neil: Blockchain can absolutely make carbon credits extra fungible, granular and auditable. Also, blockchain can facilitate the trading of RECs across marketplaces and geographies, therefore assisting to displace carbon on a world scale. One example is, RECs are an imperfect measurement of greenhouse fuel (GHG) reductions. One megawatt hour of wind produced at 3:00 a.m. in Texas will possible not displace any GHG emissions, Whilst 1 megawatt hour at 5:00 p.m. in La could immediately displace a fuel peaker plant. So, creating programs that incorporate extra, much more granular facts, embedded in a blockchain, could permit current market differentiation of the standard of credits, and supply an increased excellent “green” credit history to potential buyers.

ACORE: As you outlined, it can be challenging to observe emissions across corporations’ provide chains, as part of efforts that an ever-increasing variety of Fortune five hundred corporations (like Walmart) are now pursuing to cut back their global carbon impacts. Do you think blockchain may very well be accustomed to support keep track of how businesses’ suppliers are utilizing renewable Electrical power?

Neil: I feel utilizing blockchains like those discussed previously mentioned could make it possible for companies to make better decisions on the devices they invest in to fulfill their sustainability targets. The possible is there to combine these proven carbon emission reductions with carbon offset accounting to raised recognize the effect of their selections. This Improved accounting is something which businesses, shareholders and buyers care about and want to acquire suitable, and blockchain may possibly enable them to do so in a cost-productive way.

ACORE: How can blockchain be used being an enabling engineering to even further the deployment of renewable Strength, Electricity storage and electrical vehicles?

Neil: As pointed out previously mentioned, blockchain can Participate in a job in generating much better use on the accelerating deployment of DERs via networks that allow industry operators to access DERs like guiding-the-meter batteries, photovoltaic techniques and electrical cars (EV). One recent illustration is using IBM’s permissioned blockchain community by TenneT, which provides the grid with flexible potential from EVs and residential batteries. In a very pilot challenge in Germany, TenneT (a Transmission System Operator) in conjunction with sonnen eServices (a DER aggregator) ended up able to use their permissioned blockchain community to combination household batteries and mitigate wind electrical power curtailment sometimes of transmission overload. An additional use circumstance from the Netherlands, will involve TenneT recruiting Tesla EVs that will help regulate grid security at the transmission degree.

ACORE: Do you think blockchain could aid utilities a lot more correctly selling price dispatch versions by facilitating dynamic time-of-use prices? Would this induce the cost of demand from customers reaction technologies to say no?

Neil: Blockchain integration will surely allow utilities to far more accurately rate dispatch types since the grid will be a lot more competitive, transparent and streamlined. These improvements may lead the unit price of demand from customers reaction to minimize, but an extensive blockchain solution may additionally enable DER producers to access new ancillary market place providers and acquire repayment for their comprehensive suite of applications. These purposes are generally however within the pilot phase, but you can think about how the technologies could clear up for grid inefficiencies. The grid could cut down their In general Charge to provide, when DERs, via worth stacking, could enhance their returns.

ACORE: Do you think utilities can integrate blockchain into their company models?

Neil: Incorporating blockchain methods into markets goes to enhance Competitors and lower boundaries, but blockchain may enable utilities acquire complete payment to the providers they’re offering. Household solar entrepreneurs utilize the grid as a battery, but don’t spend the utility to the service they offer. A blockchain Alternative could account for each of the transactions which have occurred over the grid and Develop in a chance to fork out the utility a micro-rate for the usage of the distribution grid. Web metering and various latest regulatory constructs are clunky, imperfect selections for incorporating distributed Vitality onto the grid. Blockchain could present much more granularity and flexibility, allowing utilities to receive earnings for their services as Electricity integrators.

Furthermore, these apps are enticing to regulators, because they should discover the immutability, traceability, transparency and auditability of blockchain captivating. It would assistance to scale back current market friction, quicken rulemaking and as a consequence lessen the regulatory stress on utilities.

ACORE: Are there specific laws and sector constructs listed here inside the U.S. that you believe are necessary to reinforce the viability and scalability of blockchain deployment?

Neil: The IBM apps that I've described So far are primarily situated in Europe, because the regulatory structures in Europe tend to provide utilities with much more versatility to innovate.

Rules and industry constructs are The 2 major drivers powering the viability of equally initial take a look at initiatives and long-time period apps. For instance, our watch is the fact that DER integration networks, as they scale, should be able to guidance what I connect with peer-to-utility-to look use scenarios, the place end users on the scaled network could transact with one another, topic to utility-ruled dependability and basic safety constraints. Within this product, shoppers (or “prosumers”) could create and retail outlet their own personal distributed Power and trade it with Other people locally. Nevertheless, a lot of these novel purposes would require some enlightened regulation to return to fruition.

ACORE: What would you estimate the extent of integration for blockchain during the energy field might be ten many years from now?

Neil: Predictions may be tough, particularly when confronted with the traditional innovation curve, and I’m undecided We now have found an ideal application yet. I do Imagine a solution that adequately integrates DERs into your utility product would align many stakeholders. Utilities are pissed off as they’re receiving shortchanged, the DER marketplace is not able to correctly entry larger sized marketplaces and regulators are encumbered by a sluggish and archaic process.

Ten several years from now, blockchain would Preferably permit operators to benefit from entirely the abilities of all grid products. Such as, an EV could be entirely integrated and capable to lessen its charging expenditures by delivering benefit back again to your grid in instances of disuse. Your heating and cooling would operate similarly, and home batteries and photo voltaic panels could arbitrage altering selling prices To maximise efficiency. Then at the conclusion of the month, you'd probably get yourself a report on each transaction around that timeframe. Blockchain can automate these processes and take away the human issue, optimizing procedures using artificial intelligence and device learning.

Finally, I feel a essential industry to view might be how firms and governing bodies interact across many networks. Blockchain could increase corporations’ sustainability goals by making it possible for them to track RECs and All round development in the direction of emissions reductions more accurately. If either of these purposes of blockchain proves to generally be responsible and scalable, they can Increase the viability and profitability of renewable Electrical power, Electricity storage and EVs.

It is particularly relevant through the Electrical power area, in which blockchain has A choice of current and rising applications Which may change how Electric power is managed, maneuvered and compensated for, which could last but not least Enhance the normal functionality on the grid and allow more substantial deployment of renewable Electrical power.

To grasp the assure of blockchain to the renewable Electrical energy sector, we a brief though in the past sat down with ACORE board member and Around the globe Director of recent Energy and Blockchain at IBM, Neil Gerber (pictured appropriate).

In the following job job interview, frivolously edited for clarity and length, we discussed the commonest use-scenarios and applications which may increase renewable Vitality deployment because of blockchain and various grid modernization devices.

ACORE: How would you greatest demonstrate Blockchain, and what's IBM’s standpoint on its packages Within the Electrical power marketplace?

Neil: When a great deal of individuals consider blockchain, they consider a whole decentralized engineering which acts as currently being a dispersed ledger to heritage cryptocurrency transactions chronologically, securely and publicly. There is no only one trustworthy social accumulating, just like a bank or clearinghouse, that should be dependable to consummate transactions.

Getting mentioned that, there are actually no less than three various varieties of blockchain applications; normal general public, own and hybrid. As in the cryptocurrency occasion, a community blockchain Neighborhood has no accessibility constraints and is also open up to Any one on the internet – Believe Bitcoin and Ethereum – there is only one Neighborhood, and everybody joins it to take part. However, non-community or permissioned blockchains are intention-produced and directed at the company and business planet. Men and women and customers need to be granted entry to the community by its home owners, who govern it, together with by dealing with onboarding of hottest contributors, monetization strategies, privateness and security methods plus much more. At some point, hybrid blockchains are permissioned networks working on general public networks, like Ethereum.

IBM is principally focused on implementations of permissioned networks using the HyperLedger Materials, which can be an open up source enterprise within the Linux Foundation. Nonetheless, we also are incorporated in a variety of assignments on exclusive technological know-how platforms, like Ethereum.

When yow will discover A fantastic variety of probable blockchain use situations with the Electrical electric power and utility industries, we're focusing primarily on 5 or 6 essential locations that we experience can certainly make the most of the among A sort features of the increasing technological know-how. These predicaments include things like grid integration of dispersed Power belongings (DER); Energy use disaggregation; renewable Electrical electrical power credit history rating (REC) and carbon credit history rating administration; deal, asset, and get the job carried out management; and cybersecurity.

Within the carbon credit score score put, we have been in the mean time dealing with Veridium to aid them obtain a much more trustworthy, auditable and valuable carbon credit record via tokenization, which may be used to assist companies lower their carbon footprints transparently and price tag-appropriately. We see a within the vicinity of-expression long-lasting through which quite a few eco-pleasant credit history rating gadgets (RECs, GOs, RINs, REDDs, and so forth.) is usually created a lot more fungible and worthwhile by means of using interconnected blockchain networks.

ACORE: Do you might be thinking that blockchain will allow For extra transparency into the value of carbon in several marketplaces?

Neil: Blockchain can absolutely make carbon credits far more fungible, granular and auditable. Also, blockchain can assist the investing of RECs throughout marketplaces and geographies, for that reason aiding to displace carbon on a planet scale. Which include, RECs are an imperfect measurement of greenhouse gasoline (GHG) reductions. 1 megawatt hour of wind created at three:00 a.m. in Texas will most certainly not displace any GHG emissions, Although a single megawatt hour at five:00 p.m. in L. a. could right displace a gasoline peaker plant. So, making tactics that include additional, far more granular information, embedded in a really blockchain, could permit sector differentiation of the caliber of credits, and supply a heightened exceptional “inexperienced” credit to buyers.

ACORE: When you explained, it is really not easy to notice emissions all through suppliers’ present chains, as Portion of initiatives that a expanding a number of Fortune five hundred companies (like Walmart) are actually pursuing to scale back their earth carbon impacts. Do you believe blockchain may very well be utilized to help keep track of how organizations’ suppliers are making use of renewable Energy?

Neil: I feel making use of blockchains like the ones reviewed higher than could make it feasible for corporations to produce top-quality choices to your devices that they spend money on to fulfill their sustainability plans. The probable is there To combine these demonstrated carbon emission reductions with carbon offset accounting to raised realize the affect within their conclusions. This Enhanced accounting is something which companies, shareholders and customers care about and need to get appropriate, and blockchain could support them to do so in a cost-potent way.

ACORE: How can blockchain be made utilization of becoming an enabling know-how to all the more the deployment of renewable Electrical energy, Vitality storage and electrical motor automobiles?

Neil: As discussed above, blockchain can Delight in a task in earning enhanced use of your accelerating deployment of DERs due to networks that empower sector operators to entry DERs like powering-the-meter batteries, photovoltaic units and electric powered powered automobiles (EV). An individual current instance is the usage of IBM’s permissioned blockchain community by TenneT, which supplies the grid with versatile capability from EVs and home batteries. While in the pilot job in Germany, TenneT (a Transmission Process Operator) Besides sonnen eServices (a DER aggregator) wound up capable of use their permissioned blockchain community to mixture residence batteries and mitigate wind electric power curtailment at times of transmission overload. A unique use scenario inside the Netherlands, entails TenneT recruiting Tesla EVs that can help care for grid stability Together with the transmission phase.

ACORE: Do you might be thinking that blockchain could assistance utilities further accurately price tag tag dispatch items by facilitating dynamic time-of-use costs? Would this bring on the cost of demand response technologies to say no?

Neil: Blockchain integration would certainly Permit utilities to a whole lot additional precisely fee dispatch models Considering that the grid will likely be more aggressive, clear and streamlined. These improvements may lead the device cost of demand from customers reaction to cut down, but an extensive blockchain Remedy may possibly In addition help DER producers to obtain new ancillary latest industry vendors and get repayment for their total suite of applications. These apps are primarily even now within the pilot phase, on the other hand, you can look at how the know-how could tackle for grid inefficiencies. The grid could decrease their Complete Cost to present, Though DERs, by means of price stacking, could improve their returns.

ACORE: Do you think utilities

[battybat-boss]

Telecom Giants and Federal Government Forcing Local Governments to Radiate Your Home with 5G Microwaves

Crony Deal Between Telecom Giants and Feds to Radiate Your Home

by ANH USA

State and local government shut out. Health risks ignored. Action Alert!

Telecom companies are preparing to unleash the next wave of wireless technology in neighborhoods across the nation, deployed block by block.

The telecoms industry, with an assist by the federal government, is barring the ability of local governments to manage how the new technologies get installed. We must speak out to prevent telecom giants and their government cronies from taking away our rights and threatening our health.

Telecom companies are installing the infrastructure needed for “5G” networks, which are up to 1,000 times faster than the current 4G networks.

Setting up 5G networks requires “small cells” to be placed on streetlights and utility poles throughout neighborhoods and cities. These “small cells” include antennas, power supplies, electric meters, switches, bundles of cables, and boxes-all strapped to the poles.

Some have refrigerator-sized containers on the ground. These cells are supposed to be placed every 500 feet along residential streets and through commercial districts.

Homeowners worry that the small cells are unattractive and will affect property values.

Even more disturbing are the health concerns.

Small cells emit microwave radiation and essentially function as cell towers. Placing these units every 500 feet means that communities will be bathed in radiation.

We've written before about the health implications of over-exposure to microwaves. Microwave radiation can negatively affect mitochondrial function, cause cell damage and DNA breaks, accelerates aging, and puts us at a higher risk for chronic disease.

A recent study from the National Toxicology Program showed rats exposed to cell phone radiation at the federally allowable level had an increased risk for brain and heart tumors.

Animal studies have demonstrated the health dangers of the radio frequencies used by 5G, including: arrhythmias in frogs, immune system effects in healthy mice, lens opacity (linked with cataracts) in rats, and more.

Traditional cell towers are bad enough-which, by the way, the federal government has prevented the public from opposing based on environmental or health concerns.

Now telecom companies want to put a small cell tower right in your front yard, and your neighbor's yard, and all over the town or city. It will be impossible to escape exposure to the radiation emitted by small cells.

Any health concerns there are now about exposure to microwave radiation will only intensify with 5G.

It's no surprise, then, that many communities are fighting back, but the telecom giants and the feds continue to threaten local autonomy.

Telecom companies are working with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to steamroll local governments into kowtowing to whatever industry says it needs.

The FCC recently approved rules that limit the fees local governments can charge telecom companies for use of public utilities and property.

Other rules already on the books have “streamlined” small cell deployment by reducing the time cities and counties have to review applications.

The agency is studying how they could limit cities' requirements on the look and design of small cells.

Ajit Pai, the FCC commissioner and a former attorney for Verizon, also created a committee (mostly of wireless industry representatives) to develop model codes that cities can adopt to speed the approval of small cells and reduce costs to industry.

It will be an even harder uphill battle if local governments want to reject 5G tech altogether. Municipalities in many states are preempted by state laws that limit local regulation of wireless facilities.

More often, though, people simply are not aware of the dangers of widespread exposure to microwave radiation, and see the advent of 5G networks as a good thing.

Congress is also getting in on the action-on the side of telecom firms. A number of bills in the House and Senate would make it easier and less costly for small cells to be installed on federal land, exempting the technology from environmental reviews.

The sponsors of these bills are among the top lawmakers who have received the most money from the likes of AT&T and Verizon.

This is unacceptable. Special interests are using the power of the federal government to ignore local laws and endanger our health. We must not let them get away with it.

Action Alert! Write to Congress and the FCC, telling them to stop throttling the ability of local governments to control whether and how 5G networks fit into their communities and that the federal government should study the health effects of 5G networks. Please send your message immediately.

Read the full article at ANH-USA.org.

See Also:

5G Technology is Coming – Linked to Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Alzheimer's, and Death

Can New 5G Technology and Smart Meters be Used as Weapons?

New Smart Meters and 5G Technologies Can Be Used to Intercept All of Your Private Data

New 5G Cell Towers and Smart Meters to Increase Microwave Radiation – Invade Privacy

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[awesomeblockchain]

As the number of sensors in vehicles, factory machinery, buildings and city infrastructure grows, companies are looking for a secure and automated way of enabling a mesh network for transactional processes. Blockchain appears to best fit that bill.

The total number of connected Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and devices is expected to leap from 21 billion this year to 50 billion by 2022, according to recent data from Juniper Research.

The massive growth in IoT connected devices over the next four years, Juniper claims, is driven mainly by edge computing services - the processing of data away from the cloud and closer to the source. A substantial portion of the estimated 46 billion industrial and enterprise devices connected in 2023 will rely on edge computing, Juniper said, so addressing key challenges around standardization and deployment will be crucial.

Blockchain, the electronic, distributed ledger technology (DLT) that also contains a business automation software component - known as self-executing "smart contracts" - could offer a standardized method for accelerating data exchange and enabling processes between IoT devices by removing the middleman. That middleman: a server that acts as the central communication spoke for requests and other traffic among IoT devices on a network.

"Fundamentally, the idea is you don't have a central agent - no one approving and validating every single transaction. Instead, you have distributed nodes that participate in validating every transaction in the network," said Mario Milicevic, a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a leading authority on technology innovation that has more than 500,000 members.

In a traditional supply chain setting, Milicevic explained, a central server authenticates the movement of goods and materials from one location to another. Or a central authority could decide to halt certain processes based on pre-determined rules. In a distributed blockchain IoT network, the IoT devices on a peer-to-peer, mesh network could authenticate transactions and execute transactions based on pre-determined rules - without a central server.

Blockchain technology could also improve security through decentralized interaction and data exchange by bringing scalable, distributed security and trust to IoT devices, applications and platforms. The technology uses hashing algorithms to create an unchangeable record of transactions, and that information can be encrypted and only accessed through public and private keys.

Smart contract software, self-executing code that could be embedded on each IoT chip, could determine what action takes place when a condition is met. Those actions would only be executed when an incoming transaction authenticated. "So, you don't need central agency to tell each node when to do something," Milicevic said.

Blockchain ledgers decrease the time required to complete IoT device information exchange and processing time.

"It could be in an automotive manufacturing plant. As soon as a certain part arrives, that part then communicates that to other nodes at that destination, which would agree that part arrived and communicate that to entire network. The new node would then be allowed to begin doing its work," Milicevic said.

The rise of edge computing is critical in scaling up tech deployments, owing to reduced bandwidth requirements, faster application response times and improvements in data security, according to Juniper research.

Blockchain experts from IEEE believe that when blockchain and IoT are combined they can actually transform vertical industries.

While financial services and insurance companies are currently at the forefront of blockchain development and deployment, transportation, government and utilities sectors are now engaging more due to the heavy focus on process efficiency, supply chain and logistics opportunities, said David Furlonger, a Gartner vice president and research fellow.

For example, pharaceuticals are required by law to be shipped and stored in temperature-controlled conditions, and data about that process is required for regulatory compliance. The process for tracking drug shipments, however, is highly fragmented. Many pharmaceutical companies pay supply chain aggregators to collect the data along the journey to meet the regulatory standards.

Last year, SAP partnered with IBM to demo how IoT and blockchain could automate a pharmaceutical supply chain for both tracking and reporting purposes. SAP combined its Leonardo IoT software platform with IBM's blockchain cloud service to create a working model of a system that could track and manage pharma supply chains using smart contract rules.

One misconception about blockchain, is that it replaces legacy systems. "In fact, blockchain is a layer on top of enterprise applications."

SAP also recently completed two proof-of-concept (PoC) blockchain deployments with customers: one was a smaller supply chain test evaluating millions of transactions on a Hyperledger blockchain using smart contract technology in IoT devices; the second was a much larger one that represented billions of transactions among 15 different customers using MultiChain open-source blockchain software without smart contract code on the devices.

The smaller PoC with smart-contract technology worked well, but was more expensive to set up because it required a blockchain developer - someone that's in short supply - to write the code, said Gil Perez, head of Digital Customer Initiatives for SAP.

"In the small pilot, the cost of operations and overhead was rather high. So, functionally it exceeded expectations, but from financial perspective it was very challenging," Perez said.

The second PoC addressed both scalability and cost, in that it proved the blockchain could scale to enterprise levels and didn't require a developer to write smart contract code for the IoT devices; instead the business automation ran on servers separate from the blockchain.

The MultiChain PoC was not as efficient as the Hyperledger model, but it cost less and it met the busienss requirements, Perez said. He added that the smaller PoC required more complex logic in the form of smart-contract code on IoT devices.

"The fact that you put the logic on a server doesn't mean it's not automated," Perez said, referring to the larger PoC. "We have the flexibility to put the logic in different places. The deployment and business use cases need to consider not only the technological capabilties but the business and commercial implications."

SAP has been working with about 65 of its customers to develop blockchain augmented software - something Perez said will soon be available.

"It just becomes a part of the upgrade cycle. It's built into the standard software SAP provides them," Perez said. "If SAP has a standard application and we add the capability to extend or augment the application for blockchain capabilities, we believe it will help also accelerate the adoption of blockchain."

At its Sapphire Conference in May, SAP announced a blockchain cloud service for its customers -- something that's also becoming a popular option for companies that don't want to expend capital in order to test distributed ledger technology.

IBM also recently launched an IoT-to-blockchain service as an add-on to its existing IoT Connection Service. It enables IoT devices, such as RFID location chips, barcode scans or device-reported data, to be transmitted to a permissioned blockchain on IBM's cloud service. That blockchain-based network can then be used by a business network of computers to validate provenance.

Devices able to communicate data to blockchain ledgers can update or validate smart contracts. For example, as an IoT-connected shipment of goods moves along multiple distribution points, the package location and temperature information could be updated on a blockchain. This allows all parties to share information and status of the package as it moves among multiple parties to ensure the terms of a contract are met, according to IBM.

New uses for blockchain will continue grow because of the DLT's ability to provide new forms of security, according to B2B reviews platform G2 Crowd.

"Information security and corporate integrity have both taken a blow after events like the Equifax catastrophe, and companies are investing in blockchain as a precaution," G2 Crowd said in a report.

For example, global wireless network technology provider ABB Wireless adopted blockchain as a method for delivering decentralized security services for industrial systems in industries such as utilities, oil and gas, and transportation.

Cybersecurity for IoT is becoming more relevant as industries transition into the age of "smart" systems, which use tiny electronic devices to communicate with, and control, everything from building HVACs to international cargo shipments.

ABB Wireless is using a blockchain platform developed by Xage, a startup that officially launched earlier this month.

ABB Wireless used Xage's security application running on edge gateways within a number of components at power utility substations. The mesh network enables secure, remote access to IoT devices to control the substations, allowing for everything from viewing maintenance data to rerouting power.

On a system with thousands or tens of thousands of IoT nodes, the possibility of hacking the network is remote at best.

"If you add a million more smart meters to a wireless network, you've just made that network harder to hack. Whereas in a traditional network, the more units you add, the more exposure there is to hacking," said Xage CEO Duncan Greatwood.

The blockchain app contains an encrypted and immutable table of security credentials, which allows field workers to log into a device - even if the substation is disconnected from a utilities' central data center due to an accident, such as a wildfire.

"Everyone's scared to death that someone is going to get control of the grid," said Paul Gordon, vice president of engineering and operations at ABB Wireless. "This provides a solution in a scalable way, so security doesn't become a huge burden. It allows for a more scalable solution while meeting needs of highly secured environment."

Combining the immutability of a blockchain distributed ledger with encryption means that the more end nodes that are added, the more secure the network becomes, unlike traditional relational database systems that have a single point of access. Blockchain-on-IoT devices are more secure because a cyber attacker would need to break into a majority of the nodes to gain controllable access to a system.

Blockchain itself is still a wildly understudied technology. In an IEEE database of 40 million research papers, only 480 contain the term "blockchain," said Milicevic, who is a staff communication systems engineer at MaxLinear, a provider of high-performance broadband and networking semiconductor products.

"There is research, but it's at a very high level from what I've seen. I haven't seen anything really deep," Milcevic said.

Many of the high-level level articles in the IEEE database are focused on potential applications, with many of those mentioning IoT networks and how a marriage with blockchain could improve supply chains. There are, however, "very few examples" of real-world blockchain networks that have been deployed; that kind of information could provide businesses with data about the number of nodes, power consumption, and the efficiency of an IoT network before and after blockchain was deployed.

It would also offer examples of project failures, Milcevic said.

"We don't understand the cost or the security issues, such as what would happen if rogue nodes could overtake the network. Today, you still have a centralized authority that can shut the network down," Milcevic said. "In decentralized network there is no central authority. I've yet to see a hard study on that. I think everyone is waiting to see what everyone else does. That's the challenge. No one really knows what everyone else is doing.

"When there's no central authority and only a mesh network of automated nodes, it's scary," Milicevic said.

For example, an IoT sensor manufacturer could place security backdoors in the device software that could be activated with a trojan horse or a virus. "In fact, someone may have paid me as an employee of that company to install a back door that may allow me to come into your network without you knowing," Milcevic said. "If you're able to have more than 50% of computing power controlled in rogue nodes then the entire history of the blockchain could be overwritten with whatever you want."

One strength of a blockchain ledger, however, is that it cannot be overwritten; it is a write-once, append-many technology. So, the history of all transactions on the peer-to-peer network remains regardless of any intrusion.

The lack of real world examples of blockchain deployments is one reason C-level executives are cautious about embracing the technology.

A recent survey of CIOs by Gartner highlighted that trend. Only 1% of the CIOs indicated any kind of blockchain adoption within their organizations, and only 8% said they were in short-term planning or active experimentation with blockchain, according to Gartner's 2018 CIO Survey.

"This year's Gartner CIO Survey provides factual evidence about the massively hyped state of blockchain adoption and deployment," said Furlonger. "It is critical to understand what blockchain is and what it is capable of today, compared to how it will transform companies, industries and society tomorrow."

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[adamgdooley]

ERP in Space

When one talks of ‘future compression’, perhaps the reader recalls Moore’s law or maybe you imagine the future drawing exponentially nearer. If you’re in the latter group, you’re close to the mark. The widespread deployment of AI, Saudi Arabia granting citizenship to a robot(?!) and Davos’s asteroid mining executive (?!?!) suggests the future is now- the 4th Industrial Revolution is upon us. Peter Diamandis, co-founder of Planetary Resources, and Davos’s aforementioned asteroid mining executive is adamant that space mining will be part of this future.  Larry Page and Richard Branson, both investors in Planetary Resources, apparently share this vision. But, before we make it to the great beyond, our space-savvy entrepreneurs need an ERP to get them off-the-ground and traditional systems might not be up to the challenge.

A very brief introduction to space mining

Space mining does what it says on the tin. Deep Space Industries and Planetary Resources, resident to the wider space industry, are trail-blazers in the industry that plans to, as J.S. Lewis eloquently put it, ‘mine the sky’. The rewards are certainly impressive: in July, an asteroid with a $3.5 trillion platinum core passed near earth. Jakhu, Pelton and Nyampong’s seminal text, ‘Space Mining and Its Regulation’ outlines the three criteria asteroids need to meet to be considered. They must: (i) be reasonably large, being more than 100 meters in diameter, (ii) be traveling along an approachable orbital path, (iii) have a high percentage of high-value natural resources. These near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are then ear-marked as candidate asteroids.

Simple right?

Not so fast. Whilst, Goldman Sachs has highlighted that “financial and technological barriers” to asteroid mining are “far lower” than the psychological hurdles we will need to clear, space mining is not easy. In fact, it is rocket science, and then some.

The major challenges facing space mining ventures

Space mining companies need to get off the ground- first financially and then literally.Google’s LunarX challenge offers companies the opportunity to pick-up $20 million if their robot can complete a series of tasks on the moon. There are other ways to raise funds also. Ingeniously, Planetary Resources planned to raise money for their ARKYD satellite by enabling backers on Kickstarter to have their ‘space selfie’ taken. Unfortunately, the campaign came to nothing. Currently, these ventures mainly rely on capital raised from investors but they are beginning to hold their own. Insofar, it is apparent that these canny companies can raise significant capital through winning satellite-focused commercial contracts where they can boost the bottom-line and learn at the same time. In early 2016, HawkEye360 chose Deep Space Industries as “the satellite provider for its Pathfinder small satellite mini-constellation” which will collect information to monitor global transport. Insofar, I have assumed that our companies have been operating on fairly standard ERP system, either built by themselves or imported from a software company. As these enterprises expand into the great beyond, ERP is going to get messy and might not be needed at all. In the following paragraphs, I will outline the basic space mining process (excluding manufacturing and return to Earth for the sake of brevity), and then consider whether ERP is suitable for space mining at all.

  Identifying candidate asteroids

AsteroidZoo, the result of the combined efforts of Zooniverse and Planetary Resources, is a citizen-based project that has identified thousands of asteroids. Planetary Resources can then classify these asteroids by their diameter, time to reach, type of orbit and the velocity needed to reach from Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Public databases and private databases will be vital when these companies come to decide which asteroids to target.

Reviewing candidate asteroids

Planetary Resources suggest that as early as 2020 they will be touching down on the candidate asteroids. Before we proceed it must be noted that Planetary Resources (and other space mining companies) plan to proceed with their operations in two stages: (i) targetting water-rich asteroids, and extracting the resource, (ii) targetting metal-rich asteroids, and extracting the resource.

Beginning the process, Arkyd-6, a broadband imager, will identify candidate asteroid’s with a high water content. In space, water is useful as-as propellant, a life-support and for hydroponics. Being able to covert super-heated water into fuel is useful- it means that craft can spend extended periods away from Earth. Once the candidate asteroids have been identified, the start-up’s Arkyd-301 probes. The data collection “will include global hydration mapping and subsurface extraction … to determine the quantity of water and the value of water resources available.” At a later date, space mining companies will target asteroids rich in metal.

Reaching the asteroid

There are a number of transport technologies that can be deployed to reach the candidate NEA. These are concisely outlined in ‘Space Mining and Its Regulation’. Solid and liquid chemical-fueled launchers are standard space-flight fuel. For example, Space X’s Merlin engine utilises a combination of refined kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen. This tech is very useful for getting out of LEO, but less so for delivering significant thrust over a long period of time.

Ion propulsion systems are used to provide thrust over a longer period of time. Planetary Resource’s information page on Arkyd-301 suggests the probes will be launched into space with chemical fuel rockets and then continue their journey to the asteroids using ion propulsion systems. NASA’s Dawn craft used ion propulsion to visit the dwarf planets Vesta and Ceres. Dawn has a fuel efficiency 10-12 greater than chemical thrusters. But, it does take 10 000 hours to accelerate the spacecraft so speed necessary to reach the asteroid belt. However, one can only envision that this time will be reduced in the future.

Other more long-term options for transportation include nuclear-fuelled propulsion (in some instances, engines could be powered by helium-3 mined from the Moon), mass-driver systems (electromagnetic cannons for launching materials off low-gravity bodies) and space elevator systems. The later is becoming increasingly unlikely thanks to SpaceX and Blue Origin’s efforts to build reusable rockets.

Prospecting

After overcoming the logistical nightmare of getting to the asteroid itself, it seems expedient that one would then set about mining it. Minning an asteroid requires the successful deployment of Space Robotic Mining Systems (SRMS), and Jakhu, Pelton, and Nyampong have identified challenges faced by these systems. With our focus on ERP, some are of note to us:

Using less energy when mining

Improved software and AI to allow for teleoperation and automation

Using smart 3D printers to manufacture using locally acquired materials

Upgradability and modularity so broke or obsolete tech can be replaced

They point towards futuristic space mining techniques, with electromagnetic weapons and “large amplitude sonic frequency generators” not crossed-off the roster just yet.

  Are ERP systems suitable for space mining?

ERP is the “central nervous system” of a business, giving corporations the mans to become self-aware as to their activities.

In a recent Reddit AMA, a SpaceX employee provided a lucid insight into how SpaceX’s Enterprise Information System (EIS) functions. The EIS team have developed their own internal web application. It is used by all employees, including those who are “creating purchase orders… filling our part inventory, engineers creating designs and work orders with those parts, technicians on the floor clocking in and seeing what today’s work will be per those designs… and literally everything in between.” Not only is the system hyper-efficient, but because the system is produced by talent within the firm, the TCO is lower and the system can be adapted to meet the firm’s needs exactly.

One feels that space mining ventures should, if costs permit, develop their own ERP as opposed to relying on systems such as SAP Business One or SAP ERP. SAP systems are no flexible enough to deal with the complexities of a space mining operation. And, as is highlighted above, the TCO is just too high for companies having to devote the majority of their resources to developing their SRMS and transportation technologies.

Space mining companies could use their own ERP whilst there operations are Earth-based, but one feels that ERP systems will have limited application in space. If space mining companies don’t use traditional ERP methods, what will they use? Since we are yet to actually begin mining in space, the answer to this question will be largely theoretical. As outlined above, there are four major hurdles that need to be overcome if we are to mine the sky: identifying candidate asteroids, reviewing candidate asteroids, reaching the candidate asteroid and excavating the candidate asteroid.

In producing the following outline, I have assumed that for efficiency the undertaking will be as automated as possible. On a side note, If you’re interested in learning about the role of AI and robotics in space mining then offworld.ai is a great place to start.

AI is not only the future of ERP, but will go beyond ERP. Man Group, a $96bn hedge fund, allows AI to manage some of its portfolios. Could AI manage a space mining operation? Let’s not kid ourselves. Whilst managing a hedge fund is certainly complex,  it is not comparable to the labyrinthine details of a space mining operation. But, this does not exclude the possibility that AI will be managing future space mining operations.

Put simply, AI is better than ERP because it can teach itself. The effectiveness of an ERP system is limited by the capacity of the humans using the system: ERP sets-out the rules, and the workers play by those rules. For AI, this is not the case- it is, as far as its operator allows, the player and referee both setting the rules and playing by them. Moreover, ERP systems need have updates rolled-out as the system adapts to a general change. Conversely, AI will most likely be able to update itself with a near instantaneous quality. Beneficially, the update will be specific to the company’s needs as opposed to a general update covering many companies and industries.

Now, let us examine how, with an advanced AI, Planetary Resoucrces Inc. might manage their space mining operations. Our hypothetical AI would receive information from observatories

—perhaps automated— to help it select candidate asteroids. The AI would then direct the Arkyd-6 model(s) to review these asteroids, with the candidate asteroids be listed by the most profitable to the least profitable (with data from future global market trends and the actual costs of the mining process taken into account). In a matter of minutes, the launch order for the appropriately positioned Arkyd-301 probes would then be executed and the mining process would begin. All these tasks above could be performed by a human, albeit in a much less efficient manner.

Of course, my conception of such an operation is limited by my own imagination and lack of data. It is likely that the AI will account for the data of all asteroids and all operations when making operational decisions. For example, the AI might go right on ahead and completely redesign the system and the technologies used by our entrepreneur’s companies. The AI might discover a more cost-efficient way to manufacture fuels in space or invent an entirely new fuel which would cut R&D and engineers on the ground out of the equation entirely.

I foresee that some might rail against me- what if profitability is not the outcome we desire? If it is not, then there is no problem. Unlike ERP systems, AI can run inside simulations that account for all the real world data. The company would then run simulations focused on their desired end, let us say sustainable space mining for example. This module could then be deployed in the real world.

In last analysis, the future is here now- or at worse, just around the corner. In the space mining industry, at least, I foresee that ERP will be of little use in managing the involuted intricacies of commercial space mining operations. The foreseeable transformation in the space mining industry is part of the larger, long-term, alteration from ERP to AI.

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[mollydpowellus]

Variety of 3GPP IoT technologies and Market Status - May 2017

I have seen many people wondering if so many different types of IoT technologies are needed, 3GPP or otherwise. The story behind that is that for many years 3GPP did not focus too much on creating an IoT variant of the standards. Their hope was that users will make use of LTE Cat 1 for IoT and then later on they created LTE Cat 0 (see here and here). The problem with this approach was that the market was ripe for a solution to a different types of IoT technologies that 3GPP could not satisfy. The table below is just an indication of the different types of technologies, but there are many others not listed in here.

The most popular IoT (or M2M) technology to date is the humble 2G GSM/GPRS. Couple of weeks back Vodafone announced that it has reached a milestone of 50 million IoT connections worldwide. They are also adding roughly 1 million new connections every month. The majority of these are GSM/GPRS. Different operators have been assessing their strategy for IoT devices. Some operators have either switched off or are planning to switch off they 2G networks. Others have a long term plan for 2G networks and would rather switch off their 3G networks to refarm the spectrum to more efficient 4G. A small chunk of 2G on the other hand would be a good option for voice & existing IoT devices with small amount of data transfer. In fact this is one of the reasons that in Release-13 GSM is being enhanced for IoT. This new version is known as Extended Coverage – GSM – Internet of Things (EC-GSM-IoT ). According to GSMA, "It is based on eGPRS and designed as a high capacity, long range, low energy and low complexity cellular system for IoT communications. The optimisations made in EC-GSM-IoT that need to be made to existing GSM networks can be made as a software upgrade, ensuring coverage and accelerated time to-market. Battery life of up to 10 years can be supported for a wide range use cases." The most popular of the non-3GPP IoT technologies are Sigfox and LoRa. Both these technologies have gained significant ground and many backers in the market. This, along with the gap in the market and the need for low power IoT technologies that transfer just a little amount of data and has a long battery life motivated 3GPP to create new IoT technologies that were standardised as part of Rel-13 and are being further enhanced in Rel-14. A summary of these technologies can be seen below

If you look at the first picture on the top (modified from Qualcomm's original here), you will see that these different IoT technologies, 3GPP or otherwise address different needs. No wonder many operators are using the unlicensed LPWA IoT technologies as a starting point, hoping to complement them by 3GPP technologies when ready. Finally, looks like there is a difference in understanding of standards between Ericsson and Huawei and as a result their implementation is incompatible. Hopefully this will be sorted out soon. Market Status: Telefonica has publicly said that Sigfox is the best way forward for the time being. No news about any 3GPP IoT technologies. Orange has rolled out LoRa network but has said that when NB-IoT is ready, they will switch the customers on to that. KPN deployed LoRa throughout the Netherlands thereby making it the first country across the world with complete coverage. Haven't ruled out NB-IoT when available. SK Telecom completed nationwide LoRa IoT network deployment in South Korea last year. It sees LTE-M and LoRa as Its 'Two Main IoT Pillars'. Deutsche Telekom has rolled out NarrowBand-IoT (NB-IoT) Network across eight countries in Europe (Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Croatia) Vodafone is fully committed to NB-IoT. Their network is already operational in Spain and will be launching in Ireland and Netherlands later on this year. Telecom Italia is in process of launching NB-IoT. Water meters in Turin are already sending their readings using NB-IoT. China Telecom, in conjunction with Shenzhen Water and Huawei launched 'World's First' Commercial NB-IoT-based Smart Water Project on World Water Day. SoftBank is deploying LTE-M (Cat-M1) and NB-IoT networks nationwide, powered by Ericsson. Orange Belgium plans to roll-out nationwide NB-IoT & LTE-M IoT Networks in 2017 China Mobile is committed to 3GPP based IoT technologies. It has conducted outdoor trials of NB-IoT with Huawei and ZTE and is also trialing LTE-M with Ericsson and Qualcomm. Verizon has launched Industry’s first LTE-M Nationwide IoT Network. AT&T will be launching LTE-M network later on this year in US as well as Mexico. Further reading:

An Introduction to IoT: Connectivity & Case Studies

GSMA: Extended Coverage – GSM – Internet of Things (EC-GSM-IoT )

3GPP Rel-14 IoT Enhancements

5G Americas: LTE and 5G Technologies Enabling the Internet of Things [PDF]

Samsung: Internet of Things - Introducing innumerable opportunities [PDF]

The Korean Institute of Communications Information Sciences: A survey on LPWA technology: LoRa and NB-IoT

Nokia: LTE evolution for IoT connectivity

Carriers aim to crush LoRa, Sigfox and others

from My Updates http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/3gAnd4gWirelessBlog/~3/kr5_t2XLn2Y/variety-of-3gpp-iot-technologies-and.html

[stopsmartmetersaustralia]

AEMC moves to accelerate the roll out of smart meters in Australia

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has made a draft rule designed to turbocharge the deployment of smart meters. The draft rule determination states that the rule would achieve ‘universal uptake of smart meters in the NEM [National Energy Market] by 2030’. The new rule represents a major departure from the ‘Expanding competition in metering and related services’ electricity rule that…

[awesomeblockchain]

An employee working for the manufacturer of solar batteries, Sonnen GmbH, in the Bavarian village Wildpoldsried, southern Germany.

Photo: Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images

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This is the fourth in a five part series on the business impact of blockchain technology.

The electric power industry has changed more in the past 10 years than the previous 100.

Thanks to dramatic cost reductions in renewable energy, the installation of smart devices, and improvements in software, we are now hurtling toward a decentralized, decarbonized and digitized electric grid. Today, more than 1 million American homes have solar, hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles are on U.S. roads and more than 70 million homes have smart meters. The grid is smarter, cleaner and more flexible than ever before.

The smart grid industry is not alone in its dramatic growth over the past decade. Applications of blockchain technology have skyrocketed since Bitcoin's white paper was published in 2009, propelled by more than 1,000 initial coin offerings, billions of dollars of private funding and serious hype.

Blockchain and The Smart Grid

Blockchain technology has come into existence at a time when our increasingly complex electric infrastructure requires new management solutions that are smarter-and simpler-than the status quo. From an investor standpoint, the energy and blockchain industries are coming together in interesting ways.

The first-ever blockchain in energy transaction occurred in a microgrid in Brooklyn in April 2016. Since then, more than 100 energy blockchain startups have entered the space, backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in investment. While the industry still is young in terms of deployments (only 40 pilot projects have been installed to date), startups are focusing on a few use cases that may be well-suited for energy.

'Smart Contracts'

Most existing startups in this market have initially focused on blockchain-enabled energy trading. Though the physical dimension of the electric grid has changed considerably due the proliferation of distributed energy resources, the financial dimension of energy transactions has remained stagnant. Here, blockchain shows promise. The technology can help create a virtual economic grid where consumers trade power among their own devices, their neighbors' resources and the grid. Real time energy trading between peers could be automated, because blockchain is uniquely able to create digital agreements that self-execute when conditions are met, known as -smart contracts."

Blockchain could manage your energy preferences

Blockchain puts the power to control power in its users' hands. Residential consumers with solar on their roofs can specify the price at which they would be willing to sell surplus power, and neighbors without solar can set the rate at which they would prefer to buy from their neighbors rather than the utility.

Customers would set their preferences via an app, which would then translate the preferences into a smart contract on the blockchain. Most likely, a custom hardware device would also be installed on the customer's home. The blockchain would receive price signals from the grid, output data from the solar array and usage information from the home.

Based on these data inputs, blockchain would execute energy trading transactions according to the customer's smart contract preference. Since the average American spends less than 10 minutes a year thinking about their electric bill, the fact that blockchain can automate this process makes customers more likely to use the solution. Trading can occur within a microgrid, a designated geographic area or in a utility territory.

IBM has piloted a similar concept through a partnership with Sonnen, a residential energy storage company based in Germany, and Tennet, a grid operator in the Netherlands and Germany. In the pilot, Tennet sends a signal via IBM's blockchain to Sonnen's fleet of residential batteries to charge or discharge depending on the grid's needs. Residential customers receive the batteries for free in exchange for agreeing to relinquish occasional control to the grid operator. Battery management for grid services is being done today by companies like Autogrid and Advanced Microgrid Solutions without the use of blockchain.

Tokenizing Electricity

Another growing blockchain in energy application uses tokens to track electricity generating assets. In this application, blockchain companies create a token that represents one unit (often one kWh) of renewable electricity that a particular project has produced. These tokens are then sold to investors, businesses and consumers.

While there is potential for blockchain to help transform the energy sector, key questions remain.

Tokenizing electricity can allow people to share the ownership or output of renewable projects, and potentially increases liquidity in the renewable project finance market. Community solar, where a solar project is sold in pieces to multiple remote customers, is one such model and has already been adopted in 26 states without blockchain. But blockchain could make this structure more widespread and enable borderless transactions.

Energy blockchain startups have many applications beyond those featured here, including tracking electric vehicles charging, registering renewable assets and generation, and wholesale gas and power trading. The Energy Web Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on accelerating blockchain technology across the energy sector, has identified more than 200 potential use of blockchain in energy.

Both the energy sector and blockchain technology are rapidly changing, so the best uses cases are continually evolving, making the best investment targets difficult. But finding the right use case is just one of many potential roadblocks for energy blockchain startups.

Where Are The Downsides?

While there is potential for blockchain to help transform the energy sector, key questions remain-especially for venture capitalists determining how to invest in the space.

Regulation. Because the energy sector is highly regulated, many possible blockchain in energy applications are currently prohibited or run the risk of becoming so later.

In energy trading, for example, there is a risk of being regulated as a utility for buying and selling power. Companies producing tokens also worry about Securities and Exchange Commission regulations. Most pilot projects to date have been implemented in places where regulators have allowed temporary -regulatory sandboxes."

It's one thing to invest in a company that carries some regulatory risk; it's another issue to bet on specific regulatory change for a company to operate legally. In the long run, multiple rules must change to allow blockchain to realize its full potential in energy.

Transparency. Blockchain is attractive because it can provide public, trustless networks. But wholesale trading and end customer usage data is largely private. And most energy trades need to be authorized by a trusted party. Private and permissioned blockchains certainly exist, but startups will not scale at the pace necessary to justify venture investment if they can't adequately address privacy and trust issues.

Too energy-intensive. The blockchain industry also must find less energy-intensive ways to process transactions. Bitcoin mining already consumes more electricity than the country of Ireland, and single transactions can consume the equivalent of a full charge of an electric vehicle. Making the grid cleaner and more efficient through blockchain is irrelevant if the technology itself is using more electricity than it could ever save. Changing the consensus protocol from proof of work to proof of stake or proof of authority is less energy intensive and a step in the right direction.

Early Days

The ability of a startup to retain value and exert pricing power in the space, perhaps the most important consideration from an investor standpoint, is unclear. Even for startups that have identified a business model in addition to their use case (many have not), the applications are too early for market power dynamics to have played out. Will it be the software and services layer like IBM that is the most powerful? The applications layer that interfaces with the customer? Or the distributed energy company that acquired the customer in the first place? For venture capitalists used to investing in later-stage startups, there are simply not yet enough deployments to answer these questions.

We are still in the early days for blockchain in energy. Many companies are still hammering out the details of their solution, not to mention attractive business models or paths to profitability. But if the blockchain industry can navigate regulatory hurdles, increase privacy, lower transaction costs and find scalable business models, blockchain will be an enabler of the future of the smart grid.

Blockchain

Energy Access

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