State estimation of energy measurements for enhanced trust in distributed ledger applications on rural microgrids

Abstract

Distributed ledger technology has the potential to revolutionize the exchange of value in energy supply systems. Trust is central to the records in a ledger and the measurement of energy production or consumption must be dependable for confidence in an energy transaction. The case of measurement accuracy and error detection in a rural micro-grid is investigated for methods to enhance trust in energy exchanges. The suitability of state estimation as a technique is evaluated for mitigating inaccuracies in meter accuracy and therefore increasing trust. Application of the same principle for error detection, either from intentional meter tampering or faulty equipment is outlined. State estimation is found to provide a small improvement to the measurement of energy in a simple radial micro-grid, suggesting that with further work this method could benefit micro-grid operators and users seeking improvements to the accuracy and error detection.