An Ethereum Blockchain-Based Prototype for Data Security of Regulated Electricity Market

Abstract

Data security of present-day power systems, such as the electricity market, has spurred global interest in both industry and academia. The electricity market can either be regulated (state-controlled entrance, policies, and pricing) or deregulated (open for competitors). While the security threats in a deregulated electricity market are commonly known and have been investigated for years, those in a regulated market still have scope for extensive research. Our current work focuses on exploring the data security of the regulated electricity market, and the regulated New Zealand Electricity Market (NZEM) has been considered for this research. Although the chances of cyberattacks on state-controlled regulated electricity market are relatively less, different layers of the current SCADA systems do pose some threats. In this context, we propose a decentralized Ethereum Blockchain-based end-to-end security prototype for a regulated electricity market such as the NZEM. This prototype aims to enhance data security between the different layers of the current SCADA systems. The detailed operation process and features of this prototype are presented in this work. The proposed prototype has prospects of offering improved data security solutions for the regulated electricity market.

Keywords

• SCADA
• blockchain
• Ethereum
• security
• electricity market