Blockchain Access Layer (1)

Blockchain-based IoT integration and data management platform    

Blockchain Access Layer focuses on the integration, modelling, securing and certification of different energy data coming from the physical infrastructure, ensuring data integrity, and avoiding data tampering.

It leverages on the blockchain technology for:

  • Integration of IoT metering devices with unique identification
  • Measurements certification and verification
  • Data Access Management for ensuring control and governance

Interview with:
Ferdinando Bosco
Technical Manager at R&D Smart Energy Lab
Engineering Ingegneria Informatica S.p.A. (ENG) 


Interviewer: Ferdinando Bosco, the Blockchain Access Layer (1) is one of the key results of the Platone project whose development coordinated by the consortium partner ENG. Let´s assume I represent an Italian DSO. In the context of the flexibility market we have the need to share data coming from multiple assets to multiple stakeholders for many purposes. We don’t want to compromise the security of the energy grid and we want to ensure our customers their own data is safe. Looking at your Blockchain Access Layer: How can it be of help?

Ferdinando Bosco: The digitalization of the energy grids is ongoing and the necessity of sharing data with multiple stakeholders is the base for implementing innovative services, including flexibility ones. Our solution enables a secure integration of the physical infrastructure, including IoT devices, in a blockchain-based platform which is able to make available all the energy data, such as the device measurements, to all the energy stakeholders, without compromising the security and data privacy.

Interviewer: Can you give me additional details about this IT solution?

Ferdinando Bosco: Sure. The name of the solution is "Blockchain Access Layer”. The Blockchain Access Layer is a blockchain-based IoT platform that allows to integrate IoT metering devices and collect and share measurements in a secure way. In fact, we can ensure the ownership and uniqueness of the data source using a fingerprint and at the same time we are able to certify all the collected measurements, which can be validated at any time, avoiding tampering and manipulation.

In a second step, the data is stored in a Flexibility Register (named Shared Customer Database) and is made available to any interested stakeholders, implementing Data Access Management using blockchain technology for ensuring control and governance.

Interviewer: How can I try this platform if I am an interested DSO?

Ferdinando Bosco: The platform is completely open-source and you can download and install it by yourself. If you prefer, a demo environment is available for testing the measurements collection, certification and sharing.
 
Interviewer: If the DSO is interested in a demo - can we set it up?

Ferdinando Bosco: Sure. The DSO will be contacted from our IT department for a short demo and then from our commercial department in case the DSO is interested to use it as cloud solution.

Interviewer: Thanks a lot for this interview, Ferdinando Bosco!