How is Blockchain Disrupting the Energy Sector? Benefits and Use Cases

The energy sector is a multi-level industry that carries out different operations. While some companies are involved in fossil fuel attraction, some might be further involved in power generation. Because of the energy plant’s potential to cause irreparable damage, it is a highly regulated sector with complex procedures on global and regional levels. Plus, it must support sustainability. Blockchain in the energy sector addresses these issues while speeding up the industry processes.

Without using a centralized intermediary, the Blockchain presents the potential to legalize, secure, and automatically improve energy transactions between producers or suppliers and consumers. Blockchain has also proven to be a helpful tool for using and transferring electricity on a local loop.

As it brings new solutions to problems across sectors in the energy industry, be it in electricity, oil & gas, or other renewable resources; many companies are now adopting Blockchain for their energy businesses including blockchain for renewable energy. As per the report, the global Blockchain in the energy market is projected to reach $1,564 million by 2026, while it was at $127.5 million in 2018, growing at a CAGR of 37.6%.

Blockchain for energy companies is a transformational factor. Innovations in the energy sector, such as rooftop solar, electric vehicles, and smart meters, have acted as catalysts. Due to its smart contracts and system interoperability features, blockchain in the energy sector now positions itself as the upcoming technology to propel growth.

What are the Benefits of Using Blockchain in the Energy Sector?

Blockchain is known to ensure confidentiality and transparency in transactions, which is why blockchain and energy companies make good teams. The transaction can be permanently stored in the platform, enabling full audibility by all users. This technology eliminates middlemen and makes it feasible to operate under smart contracts, which it automatically carries out when both parties adhere to the agreed-upon terms. Costs also decrease, along with an increase in privacy with Blockchain in the energy industry.

Cost-cutting

The energy industry heavily relies on intricate supply chains and networks with several members involved at every step. For instance, the production and distribution of oil involve many steps, like exploration, extraction, refining, transportation, and marketing. By organizing the various parties involved in such tasks, blockchain technology in this energy source may provide frictionless communication, accelerate workflows, and eliminate inefficiencies throughout the supply chain. These efficiencies can result in significant cost savings for any business.

[Also Read: How blockchain transforms the supply chain management]

Increased Clarity

The capacity of blockchain to increase transparency among a network of participants is another useful characteristic of blockchain for the energy sector. The data stored on a given blockchain network’s ledger can be easily verified when each member has their own copy of the ledger. Additionally, the immutability of blockchain technology in energy companies ensures that the data previously recorded on the ledger cannot be altered. Also, this can enhance industry-wide regulatory compliance.

All of this is possible without requiring businesses to give up control of their sensitive data. This characteristic can be crucial in a sector where trade secrets are used frequently.

Programmability and Decentralization

Peer-to-peer networks supported by blockchain technology can function independently of centralized control with its use. Its smart contracts can also be used to programmatically regulate interactions between network users. This provides an indication of the degree of security that the innovation of Blockchain for energy companies may help attain.

The usage of Blockchain in the energy sector can hasten the implementation of smart grids and meters to enable more effective energy use. Additionally, the system can support direct grid connectivity for end users.

Digitalization

The ability of blockchain technology to digitize physical goods is another intriguing feature. Any asset can be converted to digital form and kept as tokens on a blockchain with the use of smart contracts. This might revolutionize the trading of energy commodities and give individuals new opportunities to exchange extra energy, carbon credits, and other items.

You may like reading: How IoT is transforming energy management and efficiency – 10 use cases and benefits

How does Blockchain Enhance Transparency and Security in the Energy Sector?

Blockchain for energy resources-based companies is resourceful because it tackles one of the industry’s most crucial challenges- transparency and data security. The following points explain how blockchain technology helps protect your data.

Full traceability

The transparency of blockchain is one of its best qualities. Bitcoin gaming sites are one of the places where blockchain technology demonstrates this quality because they are entirely traceable and much simpler to manage.

The same is applied to the energy industry, where transactions can be traced with full transparency about how much was given by whom to whom.

Completely Auditable and Accurate Transaction Ledger

Despite the technology being very private, the blockchain network delivers unparalleled transparency in the case of its accurate record of transactions. All website transactions are irrevocable, meaning that it cannot be altered, modified, or deleted after the network has authenticated the data.

Every other block in the system would need to be changed if someone attempted to update the transaction on the network. It makes it impossible to manipulate the transactions in any way. This automatic transparency is a crucial component of the blockchain network in the energy industry.

Maximum Security and Safety

Modern data security is another salient aspect that makes blockchain technology well-known worldwide. For data protection, blockchain in the energy market uses incredibly secure blocks. Each block contains a copy of the document that is linked to and preserved chronologically in all earlier blocks.

Although the network can track and preserve all transactions, one of the main reasons blockchain has become so popular is because it provides privacy. It also contributes to ensuring the dependability and credibility of the technology.

Distributed Network

Because blockchain technology is decentralized, no one entity has any control over access to the network. Because blockchain is built on a peer-to-peer network, each transaction is validated by normal users worldwide.

What are the Use Cases for Blockchain in the Energy Sector?

When you count blockchain use cases in the energy sector, you will come across many. Because of its multiple benefits, it can be leveraged in many useful ways. We have eased the work by listing a few popular uses of blockchain in the energy sector for you. Have a look.

Peer-To-Peer Energy Trading

The landscape of electricity distribution may undergo even more dramatic changes in the future. Homes and apartments that rely on autonomous power supply systems can sell any extra energy they produce to the grid. By enabling peer-to-peer networks of individual electricity suppliers and buyers, blockchain in energy trading could expand on this idea. Energy store tracking and consumer and supplier transactions can be managed using blockchain-based platforms and smart contracts. The creation of such platforms and further battery developments may be essential for gaining widespread acceptance of renewable energy.

[Also Read: How Much Does It Cost to Build an Energy Trading Software]

Regulation and Compliance

Regulators are increasingly requesting massive volumes of data from energy companies that can be evaluated to identify regulatory noncompliance and other problems. Additionally, there is a high chance of the data being misused in the wrong hands, exposing confidential company information and harming a company’s ability to compete. The essential data must be collected and cleaned up using present technology and procedures.

Blockchain technology has the potential to solve the majority of these problems, enabling transparency by giving regulators secure access to tamper-proof data right at the source while also giving businesses tight control over what data is made available and who is permitted to access it. The creation of a uniform data format for the industry, which is now impossible, is a significant side benefit of using such a platform to communicate information with authorities.

Commodity Trading

Another sector that blockchain technology has the potential to disrupt is the trading of energy and gas commodities. Building customized trading platforms for the distinct energy trading market has cost businesses millions of dollars. The maintenance of these systems is expensive. Maintaining a huge ledger that tracks trades and commodity prices at certain points in time is necessary for the commodity trading industry.

Trading commodities using blockchain technology might be more affordable and effective than current proprietary systems. The blockchain allows for the programming of immutability, security, and immediacy, doing away with the delayed adaptability of large-scale proprietary systems.

Electricity Data Management

Consumers may benefit from increased efficiency and power over their energy sources because of blockchain. An immutable ledger also offers safe and immediate updates of energy usage data. Market prices, marginal costs, adherence to energy laws, and fuel prices are only a few examples of various energy statistics.

Grid Management

Connecting end customers with the grid is a key priority for businesses using blockchain technology in wholesale electricity distribution. Instead of buying energy from retailers, people can trade and buy it straight from the grid thanks to blockchain technology and IoT gadgets.

Also Read: How AI is Transforming the Energy Sector – 10 Benefits, Use Cases, and Examples

What are the Challenges of Using Blockchain in the Energy Sector?

With blockchain technology coming into the energy sector, there is some level of justified hesitation and reluctance still running in the industry. Since it stakes security, speed, and scalability, it demands long-term value and investment. Any new technology is only adopted when the people involved in its adoption completely trust its capability. Unless the industrialists are convinced that blockchain is the true key solution to all their security problems and will leave no place for error, it will not be able to gain complete acceptance. Gaining trust might be the most demanding challenge of use of blockchain in the energy sector.

Due to unsustainable and outdated pricing structures, blockchain also meets a challenge in dealing with utility revenue. For instance, for peer-to-peer transactions to boost grid efficiency, shared distribution infrastructure needs to be maintained. One might imagine a network where the utility running the distribution network received a portion of every blockchain transaction, but it is unlikely that this would cover maintenance and network supervision costs.

Another major hurdle faced by blockchain applications in energy is the lack of clear global regulations. A future decentralized energy system of critical infrastructure, power prices, and disputes and transaction reversals require regulations.

Build Your Own Blockchain-Powered Energy Solution with Appinventiv

Despite the existing challenges, introducing blockchain in your system can bring new prospects and open new horizons for your business. Working with a blockchain development company like Appinventiv can help you overcome all the challenges while simultaneously making the development process even more straightforward with our resourceful team of developers who work through the solution to provide everything you need.

In one of our previous endeavors to build a custom blockchain solution for a client, we developed an LMS, Nova, powered by the abilities of blockchain. Its development aimed to fill the gap created by inefficient data protection, outdated certification processes, and alterable data accessibility and archiving in the education industry. With a perfect technological stack, we were able to develop a semi-real-time scalable solution that is now being enhanced with cryptocurrency and gamification features for the software to be more secure and interesting for learners.

Schedule a call with our team of experts now to discuss your blockchain energy project requirements.

FAQs

Q. What is the role of blockchain in the energy sector?

A. The role of blockchain in the energy sector looks somewhat like the following:

• It automates the production and exchange of renewable energy certificates and credits based on actual energy use.
• It makes use of a P2P microgrid that uses smart contracts to maintain energy flows and guarantee payments.
• Coordinating wholesale power trading reduces the need for brokers, indexing companies, specialized energy trading, or risk-management tools.
• It facilitates quicker payment cycles, effective energy use, and simplified energy accounting with the help of real-time customer-utility grid interactions.
• Electric vehicle (EV) charging and billing can become smooth when combined with blockchain technology. Using blockchain technology, EV owners may verify the proportion of renewable energy used to charge their vehicles and prevent double counting. Homeowners can register their private charging points (CP) in a P2P network and make money from chargers that would otherwise be idle.

[Also Read: How much does it cost to build an EV charging management software?]

Q. How does blockchain improve energy efficiency and reduce energy waste?

A. Blockchain makes transactions traceable, safe, and rapid. This technology encourages the generation and consumption of 100% renewable energy by improving the green energy supply’s efficiency, flexibility, and transparency. Thus, it can reduce energy wastage and make energy consumption more efficient. This process of decarbonizing the economy may move more quickly with advancements. Blockchain for energy efficiency in the renewable energy sector will be an implementation of value to the business.

Q. How does blockchain help the upstream oil and gas segment?

A. The sections of the industry concerned with resource exploration and extraction are called upstream. Four major stakeholders—majors, NOCs (national oil corporations), independents, and oilfield services—dominate the upstream oil and gas sector. Majors are big oil and gas firms that control or oversee well and oilfield operations. Upstream consists of numerous stakeholders, and they all rely on the information provided by other companies. The coordination of large-scale, multi-party data that these stakeholders need is optimized by blockchain technology. This technology aligns seamlessly with oil and gas software solutions, ensuring efficient and secure data management.

THE AUTHOR

chirag

Blockchain Evangelist