A new architecture for Smart Contracts definition in Demand Response Programs

The present paper shows the possibility to use a smart contract for defining a distributed Demand Response mechanism. The use of the blockchain and smart contracts for the Demand Response mechanism allows the creation of an automatic system, where network users can communicate with the DSO to provide their flexibility. The blockchain ensures that the same information is shared among the users of the grid, while preserving user privacy. The DSO notifies the request to increase or reduce the load in a given period of the day using channels, a native abstraction of Hyperledger Fabric. The smart contract computes the support provided by each user to fulfill the requested load adaptation and automatically remunerates users proportionally to their contribution. The first step is to record the energy consumptions of the users in order to evaluate the own daily baseline. Finished this phase, the Demand Response smart contract can start. The blockchain platform used for this application is Hyperledger Fabric since it turned to be flexible for smart contracts implementation and supports multi-tenancy. Results show the possibility to successfully apply the blockchain technology to this particular topic, even considering privacy preserving issues.