Blockchain Energy Ledger Segmentation for Secure Trading

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current blockchain configurations lack the ability to efficiently store and manage energy-related information, limiting their effectiveness in auditing and optimizing energy usage within networks.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system that uses blockchain-enabled autonomous smart meter technology (beast devices) to measure, log, and store energy metrics in a distributed ledger, enabling decentralized energy trading and optimization by interfacing with energy-consuming and generating devices, and providing secure, reliable data for energy-specific analytic operations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If blockchain is used to store energy metrics and transaction data, then data security and auditability are improved, but storage efficiency and system complexity worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata securityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments blockchain storage into different types of blocks (energy metric blocks, transaction blocks, settlement blocks) with specialized structures for different data types. Each block type has optimized fields for its specific purpose, improving storage efficiency while maintaining security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The blockchain system is designed to handle multiple energy trading models (peer-to-peer, centralized, hybrid) and multiple data types (energy metrics, financial transactions, settlement data) within a single unified framework, reducing overall system complexity despite the comprehensive functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Loss of information

If detailed energy metrics are logged in the blockchain for auditing purposes, then auditability and transparency are improved, but storage space consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveauditabilityVSAvoidstorage space

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential energy metric data needed for auditing and stores it in the blockchain, while detailed raw measurement data is stored locally or in separate databases. The blockchain contains hashed references to detailed data, maintaining auditability without consuming excessive storage space.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements selective logging of energy metrics based on predefined criteria (e.g., only logging anomalies, threshold violations, or sampled data points) rather than recording every single measurement, reducing storage requirements while maintaining sufficient auditability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS10762564B2Autonomous peer-to-peer energy networks operating on a blockchain

Publication Date: 2020.09.01 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

A blockchain configuration may be used to store a distributed ledger for an energy optimization procedure. One example method of operation may include measuring energy metrics associated with network devices operating on a network via meter devices, identifying potential changes to existing energy usage of the network based on the energy metrics, logging the energy metrics and the potential changes as part of a distributed ledger, and storing the distributed ledger in a blockchain block.