Distributed Energy Trading: Blockchain- Powered Peer-to-Peer Systems for Renewable Energy Exchange

Faculty Mentor

Seungmo Kim

Location

Russell Union Ballroom

Type of Research

Completed

Session Format

Poster Presentation

College

Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering & Computing

Department

Electrical Engineering

Abstract

Blockchain-based peer-to-peer energy trading offers a way to move beyond traditional, centralized utility models by allowing households to buy and sell electricity directly. This project develops and evaluates a smart-contract framework for distributed energy trading on Ethereum. A Solidity contract is implemented to register prosumers and consumers, list surplus energy, and automatically execute trades using token-based payments. The contract is deployed and tested in a local Proof-of-Stake environment with realistic pricing to measure end-to-end transaction behavior. Results from the simulation show that the blockchain prototype achieves fast confirmation times, low transaction-level energy use, and transparent, auditable records of each trade. These outcomes are compared with a conventional utility process in terms of transaction delay, verification visibility, scalability under load, operational energy overhead, and cost per transaction. The analysis highlights conditions under which blockchain can reduce settlement time and fees while improving accountability in small-scale renewable energy communities. The study also discusses current barriers to deployment, including smart meter integration, regulatory uncertainty, and the environmental implications of different consensus mechanisms. Finally, potential extensions such as incorporating machine learning for demand forecasting and dynamic pricing are outlined as future work to enhance the performance of decentralized energy markets.

Program Description

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Start Date

4-23-2026 2:00 PM

End Date

4-23-2026 4:00 PM

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Apr 23rd, 2:00 PM Apr 23rd, 4:00 PM

Distributed Energy Trading: Blockchain- Powered Peer-to-Peer Systems for Renewable Energy Exchange

Russell Union Ballroom

Blockchain-based peer-to-peer energy trading offers a way to move beyond traditional, centralized utility models by allowing households to buy and sell electricity directly. This project develops and evaluates a smart-contract framework for distributed energy trading on Ethereum. A Solidity contract is implemented to register prosumers and consumers, list surplus energy, and automatically execute trades using token-based payments. The contract is deployed and tested in a local Proof-of-Stake environment with realistic pricing to measure end-to-end transaction behavior. Results from the simulation show that the blockchain prototype achieves fast confirmation times, low transaction-level energy use, and transparent, auditable records of each trade. These outcomes are compared with a conventional utility process in terms of transaction delay, verification visibility, scalability under load, operational energy overhead, and cost per transaction. The analysis highlights conditions under which blockchain can reduce settlement time and fees while improving accountability in small-scale renewable energy communities. The study also discusses current barriers to deployment, including smart meter integration, regulatory uncertainty, and the environmental implications of different consensus mechanisms. Finally, potential extensions such as incorporating machine learning for demand forecasting and dynamic pricing are outlined as future work to enhance the performance of decentralized energy markets.