Dual Storage Architecture for Energy Infrastructure Data Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for managing data associated with infrastructure components in electrical energy transmission and distribution networks lack secure, decentralized, and tamper-proof storage solutions, which hinders efficient parallel use of network resources by network operators and market participants while maintaining regulatory separation.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a dual storage system approach, where a private database stores secure data and a blockchain-based distributed ledger technology stores tamper-proof, publicly viewable data, enabling secure, decentralized, and transparent management of infrastructure component data, including operating and reservation data, through cryptographic functions and smart contracts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single centralized storage system is used for infrastructure component data, then data access and management are simplified, but data security and tamper-proof capabilities are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the storage system into two separate components: a first storage system for secure private data and a second storage system (blockchain) for public verification data. This segmentation allows each system to specialize in its strength - confidentiality or immutability - while together they provide both security and tamper-proof capabilities without requiring a single complex system to do everything.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested storage structure where the second storage system (blockchain) contains hash values that reference data stored in the first storage system. This nesting allows the public blockchain to verify data integrity without exposing the actual private data, achieving both transparency and security through a hierarchical arrangement.
2Loss of information
If all infrastructure component data is stored publicly for transparency, then verification and trust are improved, but data privacy and security are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential verification element (hash value) from the complete data set and places it in the public second storage system, while keeping the sensitive original data in the private first storage system. This extraction allows public verification of data integrity without exposing the actual private information to public view.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of storing original sensitive data in the public blockchain, the patent creates a cryptographic copy (hash value) that serves the same verification function. This copy can be publicly viewed and verified while the original private data remains protected in the first storage system, achieving transparency without privacy loss.
3Reliability
If decentralized blockchain storage is implemented for all data, then tamper-proof and transparent storage is achieved, but data access control and privacy management become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent assigns different access control characteristics to different storage systems: the first storage system implements strict private access control for sensitive data, while the second storage system provides public read-access for verification data. This local quality differentiation allows each system to optimize for its specific function without compromising overall system operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method, for example a computer-implemented method, for managing data associated with at least one infrastructure component for a network for the transmission and/or distribution of electrical energy, comprising: storing the data associated with the at least one infrastructure component in a first storage system, storing a) at least some of the data associated with the at least one infrastructure component and/or b) data derived from the data associated with the at least one infrastructure component in a second storage system, wherein the second storage system is based on a distributed ledger technology (DLT).