Australia: Fremantle green lights blockchain-powered solar energy pilot

The Australian city of Fremantle has announced a trial in which 40 residential properties will be able to trade solar energy on a blockchain-enabled platform provided by Power Ledger.

This will run until June next year. A fixed-use residential tariff and a new billing system has been developed for the trial, allowing households to engage in “discrete, time-based energy transactions”.

The RENeW Nexus project is managed through Curtin University and is supported by the Australian Government through the Smart Cities and Suburbs Programme. It includes the following partners: Curtin University, Murdoch University, City of Fremantle, Landcorp, Synergy, Western Power, Water Corporation, Power Ledger, energyOS, CSIRO/Data 61 and CISCO.

“The trial represents an innovative solution to virtual energy trading that may have implications for energy utilities working to balance energy supply and demand all over the world,” says Energy Minister Ben Wyatt.

“These households are believed to be the first in the world to be taking part in an active, billed, peer-to-peer trading trial that allows them to effectively buy and sell solar energy generated by their rooftop system across the grid. This trial is another example of how the McGowan Government is embracing renewable energy technologies, and our commitment to put Western Australian consumers at the forefront of the energy technology revolution.”