Electronics360: "How Can Blockchain Disrupt the Energy Industry?"

I see the possibility that blockchain could aid timely trading and dispatch in the electric energy market, perhaps especially for small producers and consumers. However, I also see it as a potential energy hog if it achieves great success, as its servers suck electricity to run. It might not be too serious for the overall supply and for the planet if the industry builds new renewable energy sources to supply the servers' demand as it installs them, but where does blockchain growth stop? Doesn't every interrogation of the chain add another increment to it? Perhaps someone with better knowledge of blockchain could explain why we should not worry about this.

Agreeing with William - I’m no expert, but it’s hard to see how the amount of extra energy actually *used* by block-chain processes (vs. conventional online marketplaces) didn’t warrant a mention here. The article comes off a bit like an ad for Conjoule in my opinion; it sounds to me like block-chain marginally improves - on the back end - several concepts that already exist, such as energy marketplaces and the ability of end-users to sell back energy from on-site renewables. I’m not convinced block-chain is the missing element that keeps these marketplaces from further thriving; it sounds to me like adding block chain to the recipe is a way for some otherwise marginal players to try and own a piece of the marketplace currently owned by utilities and governments. I hear Conjoule saying that block chain doesn’t need to be audited, but another way of looking at it is that block chain CAN’T be audited, if I understand correctly. When Conjoule or whatever other start up becomes the Amazon of energy trading 10 years from now, I’m going to want them to be auditable, and governments are going to want to regulate these markets at least to a degree, just like they’ve always done. I’m afraid I’m not buying it...

There should be excess energy in the micro grids to save, for the blockchain technology to operate.As everyone knows, any grid, micro or macro, has to be time dependent, unless it is fossil fuelled. Any renewable sources are at best, have a maximum capacity and minimum could be zero too, but demand while generally time dependent, cannot always be so. Macro or micro, storage of energy plays a major role in any system, whether blockchain or whatever.

Blockchain technology will be quite helpful in monitoring energy distribution - decentralized data registry. Authorities and people can use the transparency of the technology to clearly see the directions of energy use.