Blockchain Technology Applied to Decentralized Energy Transactions and Supply System

Blockchain, the technology underpinning the cryptocurrency bitcoin, might revolutionize the way people trust each other by providing a tool to securely and immutably record transactions in a shared ledger. This technology is prone to reshape a multitude of industries, including the energy sector. The ever-growing increase in demand for renewable energy as well as the emergence of distributed renewable energy (DRE) owners, the so-called prosumers, pave the way to a redesign of the grid. Through the usage of smart contracts executed on blockchain, peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions become possible without the mediation of a third party. However, current limits of blockchain restrain the existence of scaled application in the energy sector. Through an in-depth analysis of the grid and its present challenges, this thesis strives to capture how blockchain can contribute to redesigning transactions in the energy sector and provides a use case of a blockchain-based platform for the trading of green energy certificates.Blockchain, the technology underpinning the cryptocurrency bitcoin, might revolutionize the way people trust each other by providing a tool to securely and immutably record transactions in a shared ledger. This technology is prone to reshape a multitude of industries, including the energy sector. The ever-growing increase in demand for renewable energy as well as the emergence of distributed renewable energy (DRE) owners, the so-called prosumers, pave the way to a redesign of the grid. Through the usage of smart contracts executed on blockchain, peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions become possible without the mediation of a third party. However, current limits of blockchain restrain the existence of scaled application in the energy sector. Through an in-depth analysis of the grid and its present challenges, this thesis strives to capture how blockchain can contribute to redesigning transactions in the energy sector and provides a use case of a blockchain-based platform for the trading of green energy certificates.