Blockchain is being used to track a different kind of exchange: the distributed ledger technology has been applied to validate communication among devices on the electric grid.

As part of its Darknet project, researchers from U.S. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) developed the Grid Guard framework to detect unusual activity, such as data manipulation, spoofing and illicit changes to device settings, which could trigger cascading power outages as breakers are tripped by protection devices. Tamper-resistant blockchain spreads configuration and operational data redundantly across multiple servers, and the data and equipment settings are constantly verified against a statistical baseline of normal voltage, frequency, breaker status and power quality. Equipment settings are collected at frequent intervals and compared to the last good configuration saved in the blockchain. The system enables rapid recognition of when and how settings were changed, whether those changes were authorized, and what caused them.

The Grid Guard format uses a cryptographic method called hashing, where a mathematical computation is performed on the bulk data to represent it as numbers in the blockchain. This saves energy and reduces the space needed to store data as the blockchain processes thousands of transactions per second for each intelligent grid device, validating the contents.

Grid Guard attestation framework and Anomaly Detection Module. Source: Gary Hahn et al./ORNL

The framework was demonstrated in a test bed that features commercial-grade hardware in a closed electrical loop to mimic the architecture of a real substation. The system provides a low risk means of simulating cyberattacks or accidental misconfigurations, and the researchers are extending the approach to incorporate communications among renewable energy sources and multiple utilities.