Engineering a platform for local peer-to-peer electricity trading

  • Jordan P Murkin

Student thesis: Doctoral ThesisDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Abstract

As the uptake of microgeneration continues, the topology of the electricity network is changing with the reliance on large-scale electricity generation being reduced and replaced with distributed energy resources (DERs). This change though has not yet been reflected in the market model that is used to organise the market. This project explores an alternative model wherein producers and consumers are able to directly trade with one another, without the need for an intermediary supplier, increasing the control and transparency of each individuals electricity supply. This model, known as a peer-to-peer (P2P), has been seen as one possible future for the electricity system, but for domestic householders, the benefits of this market are limited by the time commitment and knowledge necessary to participate in this market and the little reward that it could provide.
Through this research, we present a blockchain-based infrastructure for enabling P2P markets with the objectives of incentivising the purchase of locally generated electricity, incentivising the uptake of microgeneration to local demand capacity and providing increased control to the householders. This infrastructure demonstrates the viability of blockchain as an enabler for this market model providing a modular, flexible and adaptable solution to the various P2P business models. The feasibility of this infrastructure is assessed through the integration of two alternative trading models within the same platform: a local trading model providing automated preference-based trading across the market and a community-focused trading model integrating various sharing models within a microgrid. An early-stage empirical study is then used to validate the platform through a preliminary live customer trial in a residential flat building and a demonstration deployment within a university campus.
Date of Award12 May 2022
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • University of Bristol
SponsorsEdf Energy
SupervisorRuzanna Chitchyan (Supervisor), Charles Delalonde (Supervisor), Alastair Byrne (Supervisor), David Ferguson (Supervisor) & Bogdan Warinschi (Supervisor)

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