PlexiChain: A Secure Blockchain-based Flexibility Aggregator Framework

TL;DR

PlexiChain is a blockchain framework designed to securely facilitate flexibility trading in smart grids, addressing trust issues and demonstrating robustness and efficiency in resource-constrained environments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel blockchain-based framework that enhances security and reduces costs for flexibility trading in grid management.

Findings

Robust against MadIoT and False Data Injection attacks

Lower computation and communication costs compared to other blockchain solutions

Effective in resource-constrained environments

Abstract

Flexible resources in built environments are seen as a low-cost opportunity for delivering grid management services. Consequently, the centralised aggregator model, where the aggregator is used to bundle demand flexibility from flexible resources and deliver it to flexibility customers such as Distributed/Transmission System Operator (DSO/TSO) in flexibility markets, has been adopted. However, the aggregator role introduces various security and trust challenges. In this work, we propose a blockchain-based flexibility trading framework dubbed PlexiChain to address the security and trust challenges the aggregator poses in the centralised aggregator model. The security evaluations performed using a real-world dataset show that PlexiChain is robust against known security attacks, such as MadIoT and False Data Injection attacks. Additionally, the performance evaluations show that PlexiChain has lower computation and communication costs than other blockchain-based applications in resource-constrained environments.