Analyst Insight: Blockchain Solutions for Grid Balancing and Management

Since 2012, Guidehouse Insights has tracked 385 total energy blockchain projects and 286 unique vendors. Of those 385 projects, 5.5% employ blockchain technology for grid balancing and management (GBM). For comparison, transactive energy (TE) remains the top use case in the energy blockchain space, with nearly 18% of all projects aimed at using blockchain technology to provide an open energy trading marketplace. Deployment of GBM projects has been relatively consistent since 2017, with an average of seven projects announced each year.

Guidehouse Insights defines GBM projects as those that employ blockchain solutions to streamline supply and demand management for utilities. As blockchain applications become more widely accepted, they are expected to become the foundation for automated management of power grids. Over the long term, the cost of human involvement in the computational processes of power trading is too high compared with an automated system driven by smart contracts. Blockchain-based management of power grids has the potential to achieve comparable results quickly, securely, and at a lower cost.

This Guidehouse Insights report tracks global energy blockchain project deployments, use cases, and vendor activities around the world. It covers 286 vendors and 385 projects across five global regions. This report provides a broad and representative view of the energy blockchain market.