Multi-participant privacy and reliable carbon accounting method and system based on block chain and homomorphic encryption

Abstract

The invention provides a multi-participant privacy and reliable carbon accounting method and system based on a block chain and homomorphic encryption. The method comprises the following steps: generating a key pair of a Paillier homomorphic encryption algorithm by a carbon emission entity; all the accounting participants cooperatively complete carbon accounting and carry out digital signature on the to-be-chained accounting result; carrying out encryption processing on the sensitive data and the signature by adopting a homomorphic encryption technology; constructing a composite data block containing encrypted data and a plaintext signature; through a certification-free consensus mechanism, the blockchain nodes can independently verify the validity of the data blocks without mutual communication. The verification process comprises the steps of verifying a homomorphic relation between encrypted data to confirm data integrity, and comparing a plaintext signature with an encrypted signature to confirm the reliability of a key record. According to the invention, on the premise of ensuring the confidentiality of the whole process of the carbon emission data, distributed credible evidence storage and efficient verification of the accounting result are realized, and the problems of privacy leakage, low efficiency and centralized trust in the traditional scheme are effectively solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of carbon emission monitoring and blockchain application technology, and in particular to a privacy-preserving and reliable carbon accounting method and system based on blockchain and homomorphic encryption for multiple participants. Background Technology

[0002] Global climate change poses a severe challenge to humankind, and promoting a green and low-carbon transition has become an international consensus. Against this backdrop, Carbon Emission Accounting (CEA), as a fundamental work for measuring, reporting, and verifying (MRV) greenhouse gas emissions, is increasingly important. It is not only a crucial basis for national emission reduction policies and corporate environmental responsibility, but also the cornerstone for the smooth operation of market mechanisms such as carbon trading markets and green finance. However, the current carbon accounting system has revealed numerous technical bottlenecks and management deficiencies in practice, making it difficult to meet the requirements of data quality, efficiency, and credibility in the new development stage.

[0003] Traditional carbon accounting systems generally employ a centralized management model, where carbon-emitting companies monitor and report data themselves, which is then reviewed by designated third-party verification agencies before being submitted to a government regulatory platform for recording and management. This model has inherent vulnerabilities: First, the centralized storage of data on servers makes it vulnerable to cyberattacks, posing a risk of tampering, forgery, or loss, and compromising data immutability and traceability. Second, the entire process heavily relies on the impartiality and professionalism of third-party institutions; without effective oversight and checks and balances, operational errors may occur, damaging the credibility of the accounting results. Many data quality issues exposed in domestic and international carbon markets in recent years stem from this. Finally, this model is complex, time-consuming, and costly in terms of labor, making it difficult to support the high-frequency, near-real-time demands of carbon data accounting and regulation.

[0004] Blockchain technology, with its distributed, immutable, transparent, and traceable characteristics, is considered a revolutionary solution for building the next generation of trusted carbon accounting systems. By storing accounting data, rules, and transaction records on a distributed ledger, a decentralized, multi-party collaborative, and highly reliable carbon data management infrastructure can theoretically be constructed. However, directly applying blockchain technology to the field of carbon accounting faces two irreconcilable core contradictions: First, there is a conflict between the transparency of blockchain and the privacy of carbon emission data. Carbon emission data, such as fossil fuel consumption, emission factors of specific processes, and production data, constitute core trade secrets and sensitive operational information for enterprises. However, the consensus mechanisms of public or consortium blockchains require data to be broadcast and verified among nodes, making this sensitive information visible to all participating nodes. This greatly increases the risk of trade secret leaks, significantly reducing enterprises' willingness to participate. Although some research has attempted to use cryptographic schemes such as zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) and secure multi-party computation (MPC) to protect privacy, ZKP suffers from complex and time-consuming proof generation calculations, while MPC has extremely high requirements for network communication. Both are difficult to implement in large-scale, high-frequency carbon accounting scenarios. Second, there is a conflict between the performance of blockchain consensus mechanisms and the efficiency requirements of carbon accounting operations. Existing mainstream consensus mechanisms, such as Proof-of-Work (PoW), suffer from fatal flaws like high energy consumption and low throughput. While mechanisms like Proof-of-Stake (PoS), Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS), or Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) offer performance improvements, they still require multiple rounds of communication between nodes or rely on complex staking, voting, and penalty mechanisms to reach consensus. This process introduces significant latency and overhead, failing to meet the demands of carbon accounting operations, especially in dynamic emission sectors like electricity, where the timeliness of data reporting, verification, and settlement is crucial. Carbon accounting requires a new technological framework that can achieve rapid consensus while ensuring data privacy and security.

[0005] Therefore, existing technologies have failed to provide a carbon accounting solution that simultaneously meets the three key requirements of data privacy protection, distributed trusted storage, and efficient consensus verification. Developing an innovative technological solution that organically integrates the advantages of cryptography and blockchain to completely resolve these contradictions has become an urgent technological need for promoting the high-quality development and digital upgrading of the carbon market. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention provides a privacy-preserving and reliable carbon accounting method and system based on blockchain and homomorphic encryption for multiple participants, overcoming the technical problem that it is difficult to balance transparency, privacy and efficiency in existing carbon accounting systems.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a privacy-preserving and reliable carbon accounting method based on blockchain and homomorphic encryption for multiple parties is provided, comprising the following steps: S101, generating an encryption key through carbon emission entities ( n,g ) and decryption key ( n,g,λ S102. Based on the predefined carbon accounting formula and the respective accounting data provided by multiple accounting participants, the total carbon emissions of the carbon-emitting entity are calculated by the accounting agency. and permitted emissions As the accounting result; S103, the multiple accounting participants digitally sign the accounting result to obtain a plaintext signature. S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4; S104, based on the encryption key ( n,g The total carbon emissions were analyzed using the Paillier homomorphic encryption algorithm. The permitted emission levels and the plaintext signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4. Encrypt the data to obtain the encrypted total emissions. Encryption allowable emissions and cryptographic signature s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4; S105, Based on the aforementioned total emissions... The encrypted allowable emissions The plaintext signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4 and the aforementioned cryptographic signature s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4. Construct a data block to be added to the blockchain; S106. Broadcast the data block to the consensus server node in the blockchain network. The consensus server node independently verifies the validity of the data block based on the proof-free consensus mechanism and determines whether the verification is successful; S107. If the verification is successful, add the data block to the blockchain; if the verification fails, reject the data block.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a privacy-preserving and reliable carbon accounting system based on blockchain and homomorphic encryption for multiple parties is provided, comprising: a key generation module for generating encryption keys through carbon emitting entities (…). n,g ) and decryption key ( n,g,λ The accounting module is used to calculate the total carbon emissions of the carbon-emitting entity through an accounting agency, based on a predefined carbon accounting formula and the respective accounting data provided by multiple accounting participants. and permitted emissions As the calculation result; the signature module is used to digitally sign the calculation result through the multiple calculation participants to obtain a plaintext signature. S 1. S 2. S3. S 4; an encryption module, used for encryption based on the encryption key ( n,g The total carbon emissions were analyzed using the Paillier homomorphic encryption algorithm. The permitted emission levels and the plaintext signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4. Encrypt the data to obtain the encrypted total emissions. Encryption allowable emissions and cryptographic signature s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4; Data block construction module, used to construct data based on the encrypted total emissions. The encrypted allowable emissions The plaintext signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4 and the aforementioned cryptographic signature s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4. Construct a data block to be added to the blockchain; a verification module is used to broadcast the data block to the consensus server node in the blockchain network, and the consensus server node independently verifies the validity of the data block based on the proof-free consensus mechanism to determine whether the verification is successful; an execution module is used to add the data block to the blockchain when the verification is successful, and reject the data block when the verification fails.

[0009] In summary, this invention constructs a trusted data storage framework that integrates cryptographic technology and a novel consensus mechanism. While ensuring the confidentiality of carbon emission sensitive data throughout the entire process, it achieves efficient verification and tamper-proof recording of calculation results, completely eliminating reliance on centralized authoritative institutions. Its core lies in the fact that the carbon emission entity first generates the key pair required for the Paillier homomorphic encryption algorithm; then, all participating parties collaboratively complete the calculation and digitally sign the result; subsequently, homomorphic encryption technology is used to convert all sensitive data and signatures into ciphertext, constructing a composite data block containing both ciphertext data and plaintext signatures; most importantly, it introduces a proof-free consensus mechanism, enabling blockchain nodes to independently complete verification based solely on the encrypted evidence embedded within the data block without communicating with each other or generating additional proofs—that is, ensuring data integrity by verifying the mathematical relationships between ciphertext data and confirming the reliability of the key record by comparing the plaintext and encrypted signatures. This achieves distributed consensus while completely isolating the risk of original data exposure. This method effectively solves the problems of privacy leakage, inefficiency and centralized trust in traditional blockchain solutions in carbon accounting scenarios, and provides a key technical foundation for building a secure, efficient and trustworthy multi-party environmental accounting system. Attached Figure Description

[0010] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0011] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the steps of the method of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 2 To and Figure 1 The overall flowchart of the method of the present invention is shown below.

[0013] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of a proof-free consensus blockchain used in the method of this invention.

[0014] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the encryption and decryption process of the carbon emission accounting results of this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0015] To provide a clearer understanding of the technical features, objectives, and effects of the embodiments of the present invention, specific implementation methods of the embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] In this document, “exemplary” means “serving as an example, illustration or description”, and any illustrations or implementations described herein as “exemplary” should not be construed as a more preferred or advantageous technical solution.

[0017] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0018] The specific implementation of the embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] See Figure 1 This invention provides a privacy-preserving and reliable carbon accounting method for multiple participants based on blockchain and homomorphic encryption, specifically including the following steps: Step S101: Generate an encryption key through the carbon emission entity ( n,g ) and decryption key ( n,g,λ ); Step S102: Based on the predefined carbon accounting formula and the respective accounting data provided by multiple accounting participants, the total carbon emissions of the carbon-emitting entity are calculated by the accounting agency. and permitted emissions As an accounting result; Step S103: The calculation result is digitally signed by the multiple calculation participants to obtain a plaintext signature. S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4; Step S104: Based on the encryption key ( n,g The total carbon emissions were analyzed using the Paillier homomorphic encryption algorithm. The permitted emission levels and the plaintext signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4. Encrypt the data to obtain the encrypted total emissions. Encryption of allowable emissions and cryptographic signature s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4; Step S105: Based on the total encrypted emissions The encrypted allowable emissions The plaintext signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4 and the aforementioned cryptographic signature s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4. Construct a data block to be uploaded to the blockchain; Step S106: Broadcast the data block to the consensus server node in the blockchain network. The consensus server node independently verifies the validity of the data block based on the proof-free consensus mechanism and determines whether the verification is successful. Step S107: If the verification passes, the data block is added to the blockchain; if the verification fails, the data block is rejected.

[0020] It should be understood that the constructed data block contains the total encrypted emissions. The encrypted allowable emissions The plaintext signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4 and the aforementioned cryptographic signature s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4.

[0021] Optionally, after step S107, a result query step is also included, specifically including: when it is necessary to query encrypted data on the blockchain, the carbon emission entity provides the decryption key ( n,g,λ ), wherein the encrypted data is carried in the data block; the decryption key is obtained through the multiple accounting participants. n,g,λ The reliability of the data is confirmed to obtain a reliable decryption key; the encrypted data is then decrypted using the reliable decryption key to obtain the original carbon accounting result.

[0022] Optionally, the encryption key mentioned in step S101 ( n,g The following conditions must be met simultaneously:

[0023] .

[0024] Optionally, the total carbon emissions Represented as:

[0025] in, Carbon emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, Emissions generated from chemical waste gas treatment Indirect carbon emissions from purchased electricity Indirect carbon emissions from purchased heat Carbon sequestration The amount of carbon emissions to be processed; The permitted emissions Represented as:

[0026] in, This represents the carbon emission allowances allocated to emitters. j An index representing a series of carbon emissions trading transactions. Indicates transaction j The resulting change in the carbon emission rights of the assessed entity.

[0027] Optionally, the encryption function of the Paillier homomorphic encryption algorithm in step S104 is:

[0028] in, X The original data to be encrypted. r It is a random integer.

[0029] Optionally, the verification process of the proof-free consensus mechanism described in step S106 includes: Verify whether the encrypted data carried in the data block satisfies the encrypted data relationship derived from the predefined carbon accounting formula, wherein the encrypted data relationship is:

[0030] in, For the encrypted value of carbon emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, For the encrypted value of emissions generated from chemical waste gas treatment, For the encryption value of indirect carbon emissions from purchased heat, Encryption value for indirect carbon emissions from purchased electricity The encrypted value for carbon sequestration. The encrypted value representing the carbon emissions being processed; verification of whether the data block contains the plaintext signature. S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4. Verify whether the data block contains the cryptographic signature. s 1. s 2. s3. s 4.

[0031] Optionally, the verification process of the proof-free consensus mechanism further includes: the consensus server node starts a timer after receiving the first broadcast data block; within a preset timeout period, it verifies whether it has received broadcast data blocks with consistent content from the multiple accounting participants.

[0032] In summary, the present invention provides a privacy-preserving and reliable carbon accounting method based on blockchain and homomorphic encryption for multiple participants. While ensuring the confidentiality of carbon emission data throughout the entire process, it achieves distributed and trusted storage and efficient verification of accounting results, effectively solving the privacy leakage, inefficiency, and centralized trust problems of traditional solutions.

[0033] Specifically, the solution of the present invention is further described with reference to the following examples: (a) Carbon emission accounting with multi-party participation Carbon emission accounting is a multi-stakeholder process, and this study establishes a multi-stakeholder carbon emission accounting method. In this method, the stakeholders involved in carbon emission accounting are broadly categorized into four types: emitting enterprises, emission management agencies, accounting agencies, and emission rights management agencies. The specific responsibilities of these stakeholders in the accounting process are as follows: (1) Carbon emission entities can be divided into enterprises and individuals. Enterprises refer to those that emit more than 26,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually and are listed in the list of key emission units. These enterprises emit greenhouse gases in the entire carbon accounting chain and are the accounting objects. Individuals refer to individuals that generate carbon emissions. Considering that the current emission policy does not have mandatory emission reduction obligations, the emission reduction objects are determined by the voluntary participation of the entities and the declaration of relevant data.

[0034] (2) Carbon emission accounting management agencies typically possess administrative powers granted by administrative bodies regarding carbon emissions or other rights, usually referring to ecological and environmental departments at various levels. In the carbon accounting chain, they are primarily responsible for monitoring carbon emissions, managing carbon emission entities, allocating and clearing carbon emission allowances, and regulating and inspecting carbon emission trading. Generally, their functions in the carbon accounting process are divided into two parts: formulating carbon emission standards and accounting standards (mainly by higher-level ecological and environmental departments), and implementing and coordinating various entities in the accounting process, as well as management and supervision (mainly by local ecological and environmental departments).

[0035] (3) Carbon emission accounting agencies are the main entities responsible for actually calculating carbon emissions. Under normal circumstances, carbon emission accounting management entities may establish carbon emission accounting and statistics working groups to directly conduct carbon accounting, or they may outsource the accounting work to technical service companies or organizations. The accounting targets of these entities are usually corporate emitters rather than individual emitters. It is worth noting that carbon emission accounting agencies should possess relevant qualifications, undergo qualification audits and approvals, and employ personnel with carbon accounting qualifications. The accounting agency needs to calculate the basic information of the audited entity, such as the company's location, legal representative, business registration number, etc., as well as the audited entity's original carbon emission data, supporting documentation, and accounting report. It should also verify the authenticity and validity of this information to ensure the accuracy of the carbon emission accounting results. Furthermore, the accounting agency must provide accounting reports to the accounting entity.

[0036] (4) Carbon emission management agencies are responsible for the management of carbon emission rights and can generally be divided into carbon emission registration and settlement agencies and carbon emission trading agencies. Carbon emission registration and settlement agencies are authorized by the carbon emission accounting management entity and are responsible for registering, settling, and confirming the allocation of carbon emission rights to different carbon emission entities. Carbon emission trading agencies usually provide a centralized platform for carbon emission trading. These two entities together constitute the carbon emission trading system, ensuring the safe, reliable, and orderly conduct of carbon emission trading and providing data support for carbon emission accounting, such as emission trading data.

[0037] Based on the above descriptions of the various entities, the carbon emission accounting process can be summarized as follows: Figure 2 As shown.

[0038] Based on this, to accurately quantify the carbon dioxide emissions of emitters, it is first necessary to define the carbon emission scope (i.e., the components that need to be measured in the accounting process). From the perspective of the emission process, the accounting scope can be divided into three clearly defined parts: 1) direct carbon emissions generated within the designated boundary, including activities such as power generation and chemical reactions; 2) indirect carbon emissions generated within the designated boundary due to purchased electricity and heat; and 3) emission reductions achieved by emitters through implementing emission reduction activities. The calculation methods for these three parts will be given separately.

[0039] First, direct carbon emissions are divided into two categories: 1) emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, caused by the combustion of coal, oil, natural gas or other fossil fuels; 2) emissions from chemical reactions during the treatment of waste gases, residues and other wastes.

[0040] (1) in, This represents the total direct carbon emissions generated during the accounting period. Emissions from fossil fuel combustion by representative companies during the same period This includes emissions from other chemical reactions (primarily involving the treatment of sulfides). Furthermore, carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion can be expressed as: (2) Among them, set I Represents a range of fuel types, i An index representing a specific fuel. Indicates fuel i carbon emission factors, Indicates fuel during the accounting period i The amount of combustion. Emissions from chemical waste gas treatment. This can be approximated as the emissions generated during the desulfurization process. The calculation formula is as follows: (3) in, This indicates the amount of desulfurizing agent consumed. Indicates the conversion rate of the desulfurizing agent. This indicates the concentration of the active ingredient in the desulfurizer (specifically, the carbonate content). This indicates the emission factor corresponding to the desulfurizing agent. Unlike other carbon emission factors, this emission factor is usually not provided by accounting standards, but must be measured by accounting agencies or emissions reporting organizations.

[0041] In addition, considering indirect carbon emissions This part mainly includes carbon emissions from purchased electricity and heat, and its calculation formula is as follows: (4) in, This indicates indirect carbon emissions from purchased electricity. This refers to indirect carbon emissions from purchased heat.

[0042] Finally, consider carbon emission reductions. In the accounting method described in this invention, carbon emission reduction consists of carbon sinks, greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon emission transfers resulting from the sale of electricity and heat. Its expression is: (5) in, This indicates the amount of carbon sink (i.e., carbon emissions absorbed by plants). This indicates the amount of carbon emissions processed.

[0043] In summary, the total carbon emissions of the assessed enterprises during a specific accounting period It can be represented as: (6) Based on emission activities, total emissions can be further broken down as follows: (7) Total emissions will be compared with permitted emissions. The emissions are compared to determine whether they meet the standards. If the total emissions do not exceed the allowable emissions, it is considered compliant; otherwise, it is considered excessive. The allowable emissions are defined as follows: (8) in, This refers to the carbon emission allowances allocated to emitters, i.e., carbon-emitting entities. j An index representing a series of carbon emissions trading transactions. Indicates transaction j The resulting change in the carbon emission rights of the assessed entity.

[0044] in, This represents the carbon emission allowances allocated to emitters. j An index representing a series of carbon emissions trading transactions. Indicates transaction j The resulting change in the carbon emission rights of the assessed entity.

[0045] (II) Privacy-preserving carbon accounting based on blockchain To ensure that carbon emission accounting results are securely recorded on the blockchain while maintaining privacy, this invention designs an encrypted blockchain for carbon emission accounting. Its working principle is shown in the attached figure. Figure 3 As shown in the diagram, in this blockchain, entities participating in carbon accounting cannot directly upload their results to the chain. Instead, servers within the blockchain must collectively participate in a consensus mechanism to verify the reliability of the accounting results. However, this process means that the carbon emissions in the results will be known to the servers participating in the consensus, potentially leading to data breaches.

[0046] In the blockchain proposed in this invention, carbon accounting results are encrypted before being broadcast to servers participating in the consensus mechanism. This blockchain also introduces a "proof-free consensus mechanism," which enables these servers to independently verify the trustworthiness of a block based on publicly available information during the privacy-preserving carbon accounting process on the blockchain. They can then decide whether to upload the block to the blockchain.

[0047] Furthermore, in this consensus mechanism, the server can verify the correctness of the calculation results using only information from the carbon emissions accounting itself, without needing to search for additional evidence as in traditional consensus mechanisms. This significantly shortens the consensus time, thereby ensuring the efficiency of blockchain-based carbon accounting.

[0048] (1) Carbon accounting encryption based on Paillier As a distributed ledger, blockchain allows its participants public access to all on-chain information. Therefore, to protect the privacy of carbon accounting results, carbon accounting data must be encrypted before being uploaded to the blockchain. To address this issue, we designed a dedicated encryption method for carbon accounting data, ensuring the privacy of actual emissions values ​​during the calculation and recording of proofs, while maintaining the reliability of the accounting results. To ensure the reliability of the results, we require that any server should be able to verify the correctness of the accounting results based on publicly available evidence. For this purpose, we employ the Paillier cryptosystem to encrypt the transmitted values. Algorithm 1 illustrates the encryption and decryption process of the Paillier algorithm.

[0049]

[0050] In Algorithm 1, X This represents the raw data to be encrypted, specifically including total carbon emissions. Permitted emissions and written signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4. ( n,g ) is the encryption key, ( n,g,λ ) is the decryption key.

[0051] Using encryption key ( n,g )Will X Encrypt to X The encryption function. A Modular b express A Divide by b The remainder, and c=modinv ( yes, yes ) indicates that a satisfactory result has been found. CD Modular e =1 c . The encryption method provided by this invention is a homomorphic encryption algorithm, which has a unique characteristic: performing a linear operation on the encrypted data and then decrypting the result produces the same result as directly performing a linear operation on the original data. As mentioned earlier, an entity's total carbon emissions have been broken down into emissions from individual activities. These emission data should be encrypted before being made public. It is evident that even after encryption, the encrypted data must still satisfy a relationship similar to equation (7), namely: (9) in , , , , , express , , , , , , The encrypted value, specifically, For the encrypted value of carbon emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, For the encrypted value of emissions generated from chemical waste gas treatment, For the encryption value of indirect carbon emissions from purchased heat, Encryption value for indirect carbon emissions from purchased electricity The encrypted value for carbon sequestration. An encrypted value for the amount of carbon emissions processed.

[0052] Servers participating in the blockchain can use Equation (9) to determine whether the encrypted total emission data is trustworthy. However, Equation (9) only guarantees the integrity of the encrypted data and does not verify the reliability of the encryption key. Moreover, the encryption key cannot be directly recorded on the blockchain; otherwise, other servers may use the key and encrypted data to recover the original emission value, leading to privacy leaks. To address this issue, this blockchain design proposes a new method to record the encryption key on the chain without public disclosure. In this method, the four entities participating in the carbon emission accounting process must each digitally sign the accounting result, denoted as […]. S 1. S 2. S 3 and S 4. Then encrypt these signatures respectively as s 1. s 2. s 3 and s 4. And upload it to the blockchain. At this point, the encryption key must simultaneously meet the following conditions: (10) (11) Since it is extremely unlikely that two different sets of keys simultaneously satisfy equations (10) and (11), this method ensures that the encryption keys are reliably recorded on the blockchain and cannot be tampered with.

[0053] Furthermore, because the key contains a large integer, other servers cannot deduce the key from the plaintext and ciphertext of the signature. This effectively guarantees the confidentiality of the key and prevents it from being disclosed to any other server.

[0054] Furthermore, for blockchain-based carbon emission accounting, this invention proposes a consensus mechanism that requires no additional proof, enabling servers to verify the reliability of the accounting results and thus decide whether to upload the results to the blockchain. As described in the encryption method above, all servers can: 1) verify the reliability of the accounting results according to formula (11); 2) verify the encryption signature. s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4. Confirm that the encryption key has been reliably recorded (even though the server does not actually know the specific value of the key). Under this consensus mechanism, a block will only be added to the blockchain when both conditions are met.

[0055] The specific process of this consensus mechanism is as follows: 1) The carbon emitting entity broadcasts a message to the other three parties to initiate a consensus process on the accounting results; 2) The four parties involved in the calculation broadcast the block to all servers respectively; 3) The server starts a timer after receiving the first broadcast. If all four broadcasts are not received within the preset time limit, the request is considered to have timed out, and consensus fails. 4) The server compares the received blocks to confirm that they are completely identical; 5) The server verifies the validity of the encrypted calculation result; 6) The server confirms that each block from the four parties contains all four signatures, proving that all relevant parties participated in the calculation process; 7) The server verifies that the block contains a signed encrypted version and confirms that the encryption key has been recorded; 8) If all the above checks pass, the server will add the block to the blockchain; otherwise, it will be considered an invalid broadcast and the consensus process will be terminated.

[0056] In the aforementioned consensus mechanism, once the block consensus process is initiated, the four parties participating in carbon accounting provide evidence to the blockchain server to prove the credibility of the accounting results. All evidence is generated and embedded within the block during the carbon accounting phase, requiring no additional computation. Furthermore, the server can independently assess its credibility simply by examining the block content, without any inter-server communication.

[0057] Based on the aforementioned data encryption method and consensus mechanism, this invention designs a carbon accounting process. Specifically, it includes the following three steps.

[0058] 1) Off-chain carbon accounting result calculation process. In this stage, each of the four accounting entities provides its own data to the carbon accounting agency. These agencies then use the methods described in Section 2 to calculate the total carbon emissions and permitted emissions of the carbon-emitting entities. The results are sent back to the four accounting entities. If all four entities agree on the results, the process is considered complete; otherwise, the billing attempt is discarded.

[0059] 2) Encryption of accounting results. The carbon emission entity first generates an encryption key ( n,g ) and decryption key ( n,g,λ Then, each of the four accounting entities encrypted its own signature, as well as the emissions and permitted emissions data involved in equation (9). Finally, the entities exchanged their encrypted results to verify correctness and prevent any single entity from tampering with the encrypted data.

[0060] 3) Uploading the results to the blockchain. This stage includes the carbon-emitting entity generating a block, initiating a consensus mechanism, and servers reaching a consensus based on this mechanism. If the results pass the consensus mechanism, the block will be uploaded to the blockchain. Otherwise, the upload will be considered invalid, and the carbon-emitting entity must initiate a new consensus process.

[0061] At this point, the carbon accounting results have been securely and privately recorded on the blockchain. When querying the on-chain results, the carbon-emitting entity first provides a decryption key, which must be verified by other ledger entities. The key's credibility can be verified using signatures and cryptographic signatures stored on the chain. Finally, the key is used to decrypt the encrypted results on the blockchain, revealing the original ledger data. In this blockchain-based carbon accounting process, the servers participating in the consensus mechanism cannot access any private carbon accounting information. When the carbon accounting results are packaged into blocks and uploaded, the blocks contain the encrypted emissions for each activity, the encrypted total emissions, the plaintext signature of each entity, and the cryptographic signature of each entity. All of this information is publicly accessible on the chain. However, the following remain private: the actual emissions for each activity, the actual total emissions, and the cryptographic keys used in the process.

[0062] Below is a simple example of carbon emissions accounting based on a consensusless blockchain. This example provides a set of known data related to the carbon emissions of a power generation company and applies the aforementioned blockchain-based privacy-preserving carbon emissions accounting method to these examples. The carbon emissions accounting period in this example is one year, during which raw emissions data for that year are collected. Some data are reported monthly, and some are summarized annually. The unencrypted accounting results are shown in Table 1 below.

[0063] Table 1

[0064] Based on the aforementioned method, this table presents carbon emission accounting results based on enterprise emission data. To verify the reliability of the encryption method, Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the entire process of encrypting and decrypting carbon accounting data, and clearly outlines the data range accessible to carbon accounting participants and the consensus mechanism server during encryption. This chart corroborates the preceding analysis of the encryption method, with the key conclusion being that the unencrypted original data and encryption key are only known to carbon accounting participants, while the encrypted data, though publicly visible, does not leak any private information.

[0065] Furthermore, blockchain carbon accounting methods based on Proof-of-NonCommon (NPC) consensus demonstrate superior efficiency compared to other blockchain solutions that guarantee the reliability of carbon accounting results. This is primarily due to the inherent advantages of the NPC consensus mechanism compared to other consensus protocols. Traditional blockchain consensus mechanisms (such as DPoS and PBFT) require additional evidence verification processes to confirm the reliability of the results: DPoS requires participants to prove their rights by verifying records through historical blocks, while PBFT requires all nodes to conduct multiple rounds of communication to avoid Byzantine faults. In contrast, the NPC mechanism completely avoids this evidence-seeking phase by ensuring that the data uploaded to the blockchain itself is inherently reliable, thereby significantly accelerating the consensus process and enabling efficient batch processing of carbon accounting operations.

[0066] In summary, this invention provides a privacy-preserving and reliable carbon accounting method based on blockchain and homomorphic encryption for multiple participants. It generates key pairs using the Paillier homomorphic encryption algorithm from carbon emission entities; each participating party collaboratively completes the carbon accounting and digitally signs the results to be uploaded to the blockchain; homomorphic encryption is used to encrypt sensitive data and signatures; a composite data block containing encrypted data and plaintext signatures is constructed; and a proof-free consensus mechanism allows blockchain nodes to independently verify the validity of the data block without mutual communication. The verification process includes verifying the homomorphic relationship between encrypted data to confirm data integrity, and comparing the plaintext signature with the encrypted signature to confirm the reliability of the key record. This invention, while ensuring the confidentiality of carbon emission data throughout the entire process, achieves distributed, trusted storage and efficient verification of accounting results, effectively solving the privacy leakage, inefficiency, and centralized trust problems inherent in traditional solutions.

[0067] As another example, the present invention also provides a privacy-preserving and reliable carbon accounting system for multiple participants based on blockchain and homomorphic encryption, comprising: The key generation module is used to generate encryption keys from carbon-emitting entities. n,g ) and decryption key ( n,g,λ ); The accounting module is used to calculate the total carbon emissions of the carbon-emitting entity through an accounting agency, based on a predefined carbon accounting formula and the accounting data provided by multiple accounting participants. and permitted emissions As an accounting result; The signature module is used to digitally sign the calculation result through the multiple calculation participants to obtain a plaintext signature. S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4; Encryption module, used for encryption based on the encryption key ( n,g The total carbon emissions were analyzed using the Paillier homomorphic encryption algorithm. The permitted emission levels and the plaintext signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4. Encrypt the data to obtain the encrypted total emissions. Encryption of allowable emissions and cryptographic signature s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4; The data block construction module is used to construct data based on the total encrypted emissions. The encrypted allowable emissions The plaintext signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4 and the aforementioned cryptographic signature s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4. Construct a data block to be uploaded to the blockchain; The verification module is used to broadcast the data block to the consensus server node in the blockchain network, and the consensus server node independently verifies the validity of the data block based on the proof-free consensus mechanism to determine whether the verification is successful. The execution module is used to add the data block to the blockchain when verification passes, and to reject the data block when verification fails.

[0068] The system in this embodiment is used to implement the corresponding methods in the foregoing multiple method embodiments and has the beneficial effects of the corresponding method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0069] As another example, embodiments of the present invention also provide an electronic device, which is an example of a hardware device that can be applied to various aspects of the present invention. The electronic device is intended to represent various forms of digital electronic computer devices, such as laptop computers, desktop computers, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframe computers, and other suitable computers. The electronic device can also represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digital processors, cellular phones, smartphones, wearable devices, and other similar computing devices. The components shown herein, their connections and relationships, and their functions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the implementation of the invention described and / or claimed herein.

[0070] The electronic device may include a processor, a communications interface, memory, and a communications bus.

[0071] The processor, communication interface, and memory communicate with each other via a communication bus. The communication interface is used to communicate with other electronic devices or servers.

[0072] The processor is used to execute programs, specifically the relevant steps in the above method embodiments.

[0073] Specifically, the program may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions.

[0074] The processor may be a CPU, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement embodiments of the present invention. The one or more processors included in a smart device may be of the same type, such as one or more CPUs; or they may be of different types, such as one or more CPUs and one or more ASICs.

[0075] Memory is used to store programs. Memory may include high-speed RAM, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk drive.

[0076] The program, when executed by a processor, is used to cause an electronic device to perform the method of the present invention.

[0077] Furthermore, the specific implementation of each step in the program can be found in the corresponding descriptions of the steps and units in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the devices and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding process descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0078] This invention also provides a computer storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the methods of the various embodiments of this invention. The corresponding process descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0079] The methods described above according to embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, firmware, or as software or computer code that can be stored in a recording medium (such as a CD-ROM, RAM, floppy disk, hard disk, or magneto-optical disk), or as computer code originally stored on a remote recording medium or a non-transitory machine-readable medium and subsequently stored on a local recording medium, downloaded via a network. Thus, the methods described herein can be processed by software stored on a recording medium using a general-purpose computer, a dedicated processor, or programmable or dedicated hardware (such as an ASIC or FPGA). It is understood that the computer, processor, microprocessor controller, or programmable hardware includes storage components (e.g., RAM, ROM, flash memory, etc.) capable of storing or receiving software or computer code, which, when accessed and executed by the computer, processor, or hardware, implements the methods described herein. Furthermore, when a general-purpose computer accesses code used to implement the methods shown herein, the execution of the code transforms the general-purpose computer into a dedicated computer for executing the methods shown herein.

[0080] Specific embodiments of the invention have now been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions described in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require a specific or sequential order to achieve the desired result. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous.

[0081] It should be understood that although this specification is described according to various embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other implementation methods that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0082] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions also fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention, and the patent protection scope of the embodiments of the present invention should be defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A privacy-preserving and reliable carbon accounting method for multiple parties based on blockchain and homomorphic encryption, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S101, Generate encryption keys through carbon emission entities ( n,g ) and decryption key ( n,g,λ ); S102. Based on a predefined carbon accounting formula and the respective accounting data provided by multiple accounting participants, the total carbon emissions of the carbon-emitting entity are calculated by the accounting agency. and permitted emissions As an accounting result; S103. The calculation results are digitally signed by the multiple calculation participants to obtain plaintext signatures. S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4; S104, Based on the encryption key ( n,g The total carbon emissions were analyzed using the Paillier homomorphic encryption algorithm. The permitted emission levels and the plaintext signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4. Encrypt the data to obtain the encrypted total emissions. Encryption allowable emissions and cryptographic signature s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4; S105, Based on the aforementioned total emissions The encrypted allowable emissions The plaintext signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4 and the aforementioned cryptographic signature s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4. Construct a data block to be uploaded to the blockchain; S106. Broadcast the data block to the consensus server node in the blockchain network. The consensus server node independently verifies the validity of the data block based on the proof-free consensus mechanism and determines whether the verification is successful. S107. If the verification passes, the data block is added to the blockchain; if the verification fails, the data block is rejected.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Following step S107, a result query step is also included, specifically including: When it is necessary to query encrypted data on the blockchain, the carbon emission entity provides the decryption key. n,g,λ The encrypted data is carried in the data block. The decryption key is determined by the multiple participating accounting parties. n,g,λ The reliability of the key is confirmed to obtain a reliable decryption key; The encrypted data is decrypted using the confirmed reliable decryption key to obtain the original carbon accounting result.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The encryption key mentioned in step S101 ( n,g The following conditions must be met simultaneously: 。 4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The total carbon emissions Represented as: in, Carbon emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, Emissions generated from chemical waste gas treatment Indirect carbon emissions from purchased electricity Indirect carbon emissions from purchased heat Carbon sequestration The amount of carbon emissions to be processed; The permitted emissions Represented as: in, This represents the carbon emission allowances allocated to emitters. j An index representing a series of carbon emissions trading. Indicates transaction j The resulting change in the carbon emission rights of the assessed entity.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The encryption function of the Paillier homomorphic encryption algorithm described in step S104 is: in, X The original data to be encrypted. r It is a random integer.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The verification process of the proof-free consensus mechanism described in step S106 includes: Verify whether the encrypted data carried in the data block satisfies the encrypted data relationship derived from the predefined carbon accounting formula, wherein the encrypted data relationship is: in, For the encrypted value of carbon emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, For the encrypted value of emissions generated from chemical waste gas treatment, For the encryption value of indirect carbon emissions from purchased heat, Encryption value for indirect carbon emissions from purchased electricity The encrypted value for carbon sequestration. An encrypted value for the amount of carbon emissions processed; Verify whether the data block contains the plaintext signature. S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4; Verify whether the data block contains the cryptographic signature. s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The verification process of the aforementioned proof-free consensus mechanism also includes: The consensus server node starts a timer after receiving the first broadcast data block; Within a preset timeout period, verify whether a data block broadcast with identical content has been received from the multiple accounting participants.

8. A privacy-preserving and reliable carbon accounting system for multiple parties based on blockchain and homomorphic encryption, characterized in that, include: The key generation module is used to generate encryption keys from carbon-emitting entities. n,g ) and decryption key ( n,g,λ ); The accounting module is used to calculate the total carbon emissions of the carbon-emitting entity through an accounting agency, based on a predefined carbon accounting formula and the accounting data provided by multiple accounting participants. and permitted emissions As an accounting result; The signature module is used to digitally sign the calculation result through the multiple calculation participants to obtain a plaintext signature. S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4; Encryption module, used for encryption based on the encryption key ( n,g The total carbon emissions were analyzed using the Paillier homomorphic encryption algorithm. The permitted emission levels and the plaintext signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4. Encrypt the data to obtain the encrypted total emissions. Encryption allowable emissions and cryptographic signature s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4; The data block construction module is used to construct data based on the total encrypted emissions. The encrypted allowable emissions The plaintext signature S 1. S 2. S 3. S 4 and the aforementioned cryptographic signature s 1. s 2. s 3. s 4. Construct a data block to be uploaded to the blockchain; The verification module is used to broadcast the data block to the consensus server node in the blockchain network, and the consensus server node independently verifies the validity of the data block based on the proof-free consensus mechanism to determine whether the verification is successful. An execution module is used to add the data block to the blockchain when the verification is successful, and to reject the data block when the verification fails.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: processor; Memory for stored programs; The program includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1-7.

10. A computer storage medium, characterized in that, It stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1-7.

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