Wirepas and the Energy Web Foundation (EWF) announced a proof of concept demonstration that wirelessly connects physical distributed energy sources to the digital Energy Web Chain. For the demonstration, solar panels and environmental sensors from at least three different hardware manufacturers form a decentralized wireless mesh network, connected through a gateway to the Energy Web Chain. 

Verifying identities at the device level, certifying their outputs (such as solar panel generation), and securely connecting those devices to potentially transact through smart contracts on the blockchain are critical steps for achieving a decentralized energy future with billions of low-carbon, grid-edge technologies. 

"One of the unique challenges of blockchain-for-energy solutions vs. cryptocurrencies is bridging from the digital world of blockchains into the very real physical world of electricity grids and real-time balancing of supply and demand to keep the grid running," said Claire Henly, managing director at EWF. "This proof of concept bridges those two worlds and the implications are very exciting. This allows us to evolve from an energy blockchain as a glorified ledger for transaction settlement data, for example, to a much more dynamic environment in which all manner of grid edge devices become direct active participants in energy markets." 

Wirepas's hardware-agnostic, autonomous, and highly scalable mesh network provides an industrial-grade, infrastructure-light solution offering tangible ROI. Completing the link-not just to a cloud-based IoT service, but to a decentralized public blockchain like the Energy Web Chain-overcomes one of the major technological hurdles for applying blockchain-based solutions to the physical electricity grid. 

"Grid-edge devices require reliable and secure connectivity to realize the full potential of distributed energy resources becoming part of the transactive energy system. Instead of creating data silos-imagine a world in which each device is enabled to autonomously participate in a broad transactive energy market with a unique and certified digital identity, and then securely connected directly to an inclusive, public blockchain as well as to any IoT platform. This unlocks a world of possibilities we're just beginning to explore," said Thomas Weisshaupt, director of smart energy at Wirepas. 

Energy Web Foundation | www.energyweb.org

Wirepas | wirepas.com