Nikita Karandikar

Bio: Nikita Karandikar is an academic researcher from University of Stavanger. The author has contributed to research in topics: Computer science & Smart grid. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 4 publications receiving 15 citations.

Blockchain Based Transaction System with Fungible and Non-Fungible Tokens for a Community-Based Energy Infrastructure.

Abstract: Renewable energy microgeneration is rising leading to creation of prosumer communities making it possible to extract value from surplus energy and usage flexibility. Such a peer-to-peer energy trading community requires a decentralized, immutable and access-controlled transaction system for tokenized energy assets. In this study we present a unified blockchain-based system for energy asset transactions among prosumers, electric vehicles, power companies and storage providers. Two versions of the system were implemented on Hyperledger Fabric. Assets encapsulating an identifier or unique information along with value are modelled as non-fungible tokens (NFT), while those representing value only are modelled as fungible tokens (FT). We developed the associated algorithms for token lifecycle management, analyzed their complexities and encoded them in smart contracts for performance testing. The results show that performance of both implementations are comparable for most major operations. Further, we presented a detailed comparison of FT and NFT implementations based on use-case, design, performance, advantages and disadvantages. Our implementation achieved a throughput of 448.3 transactions per second for the slowest operation (transfer) with a reasonably low infrastructure.

Transactive Energy on Hyperledger Fabric

Abstract: As home solar power generation continues to gain popularity, trading excess power within the community is the next logical step. Locally generated power can enrich communities, cut down on transmission losses and provide some measure of energy security. In order to facilitate intra-neighborhood energy transactions, we propose a model that leverages the capabilities of blockchain to provide a transparent, secure and decentralized platform. As the consensus mechanism used must be energy efficient and because the users of the network must be identified and authenticated, in order to build trust and satisfy the Know Your Customer regulations implemented in many countries, a permissioned blockchain is used. Hyperledger Fabric which is a Linux foundation project maintained by almost 200 developers from over 35 organizations is chosen. Hyperledger Fabric has modular architecture allowing the operator to switch out components for others. We propose two architectures for Hyperledger applications and discuss how smart grids in conjunction with Hyperledger Fabric can be used to provide value to prosumers, prosumer communities, Distribution System operators (DSO) and Electric Vehicles (EVs).

Blockchain-based prosumer incentivization for peak mitigation through temporal aggregation and contextual clustering

Abstract: Peak mitigation is of interest to power companies as peak periods may require the operator to over provision supply in order to meet the peak demand. Flattening the usage curve can result in cost savings, both for the power companies and the end users. Integration of renewable energy into the energy infrastructure presents an opportunity to use excess renewable generation to supplement supply and alleviate peaks. In addition, demand side management can shift the usage from peak to off-peak times and reduce the magnitude of peaks. In this work, we present a data driven approach for incentive-based peak mitigation. Understanding user energy profiles is an essential step in this process. We begin by analysing a popular energy research dataset published by the Ausgrid corporation. Extracting aggregated user energy behavior in temporal contexts and semantic linking and contextual clustering give us insight into consumption and rooftop solar generation patterns. We implement, and performance test a blockchain-based prosumer incentivization system. The smart contract logic is based on our analysis of the Ausgrid dataset. Our implementation is capable of supporting 792,540 customers with a reasonably low infrastructure footprint.

RenewLedger : Renewable energy management powered by Hyperledger Fabric

Abstract: Trading and storage of renewable energy offers a way for the prosumer to extract value from the surplus energy that they produce, while also mitigating energy shortfall. Power companies can enlist prosumers in demand response strategies for grid stability and cost savings. We present RenewLedger, a blockchain-based framework for renewable energy transaction, storage management and direct-to-consumer demand response incentivization and gamification for peak shaving. We design and implement this system using Hyperledger Fabric and report on performance benchmarking experiments conducted using Hyperledger Caliper.

Containerized immutable maritime data sharing utilizing Distributed Ledger Technologies

Abstract: In recent years, distributed ledger technologies (DLTs), especially blockchain technology, has become a popular topic and is being implemented in different industries. Ships are expected to be equipped with more advanced equipment and less crew onboard. The communication and information sharing between different maritime stakeholders such as business partners, port authorities, tax authorities, class societies, flag states, IMO and EU become more important than ever. Trust and authenticity are key properties when utilizing data for safety or business critical applications, and will only increase in importance as automation levels increase towards fully autonomous ships and trading systems. The implementation of DLTs as close as possible to the data source helps provide a reliable, trustworthy way to share, process and verify the data. The objective of this paper is to explore how tamperfree maritime data sharing can enable automated transactions between vessels and shore-based entities. Singapores TradeTrust platform has shown that digitalization of international trade has great potential. In this paper we explore how further enhancements may be implemented and how the distributed ledger VeChain, as compared to Ethereum, have some distinct advantages that may be beneficial for continued automation and efficiency gains. The electronic Bill of Lading was taken as an example to demonstrate the concept. Reporting requirements from the other maritime data sharing scenarios are also expected to require a way of ensuring tamperfree data.

Blockchain Based Transaction System with Fungible and Non-Fungible Tokens for a Community-Based Energy Infrastructure.

Abstract: Renewable energy microgeneration is rising leading to creation of prosumer communities making it possible to extract value from surplus energy and usage flexibility. Such a peer-to-peer energy trading community requires a decentralized, immutable and access-controlled transaction system for tokenized energy assets. In this study we present a unified blockchain-based system for energy asset transactions among prosumers, electric vehicles, power companies and storage providers. Two versions of the system were implemented on Hyperledger Fabric. Assets encapsulating an identifier or unique information along with value are modelled as non-fungible tokens (NFT), while those representing value only are modelled as fungible tokens (FT). We developed the associated algorithms for token lifecycle management, analyzed their complexities and encoded them in smart contracts for performance testing. The results show that performance of both implementations are comparable for most major operations. Further, we presented a detailed comparison of FT and NFT implementations based on use-case, design, performance, advantages and disadvantages. Our implementation achieved a throughput of 448.3 transactions per second for the slowest operation (transfer) with a reasonably low infrastructure.

A Survey of Decentralizing Applications via Blockchain: The 5G and Beyond Perspective

Abstract: Trusted third parties (TTPs) are frequently used for serving as an authority to issue and verify transactions in applications. Although the TTP-based paradigm provides customers with convenience, it causes a whole set of inevitable problems such as security threats, privacy vulnerabilities, and censorship. The TTP-based paradigm is not suitable for all modern networks, e.g., 5G and beyond networks, which are been evolving to support ubiquitous, decentralized, and autonomous services. Driven by the vision of blockchain technologies, there has been a paradigm shift in applications, from TTP-based to decentralized-trust-based. Decentralized applications (DApps) with blockchains promise no trust on authorities, tackling the key challenges of security and privacy problems. A main thrust of blockchain research is to explore frameworks and paradigms for decentralizing applications, fostering a number of new designs ranging from network architectures to business models. Therefore, this paper provides a compact and concise survey on the state-of-the-art research of decentralizing applications with blockchain in the 5G and beyond perspective. We provide four burning 5G and beyond challenges and discuss five aspects of motivation for decentralizing applications with blockchain. Then, we define nine fundamental modules of blockchains and explain the potential influence of these modules on decentralization in depth. We also discuss the interrelation between decentralization and some desired blockchain properties. Particularly, we present the capabilities of blockchain for decentralizing applications through reviewing DApps for 5G and beyond. We clearly distinguish three blockchain paradigms and discuss how developers to make right choices for 5G and beyond. Finally, we highlight important learned lessons and open issues in applying blockchain for decentralizing applications. Lessons learned and open issues from this survey will facilitate the transformation of centralized applications to DApps.

Privacy-Preserving Passive DNS

Abstract: The Domain Name System (DNS) was created to resolve the IP addresses of web servers to easily remembered names. When it was initially created, security was not a major concern; nowadays, this lack of inherent security and trust has exposed the global DNS infrastructure to malicious actors. The passive DNS data collection process creates a database containing various DNS data elements, some of which are personal and need to be protected to preserve the privacy of the end users. To this end, we propose the use of distributed ledger technology. We use Hyperledger Fabric to create a permissioned blockchain, which only authorized entities can access. The proposed solution supports queries for storing and retrieving data from the blockchain ledger, allowing the use of the passive DNS database for further analysis, e.g., for the identification of malicious domain names. Additionally, it effectively protects the DNS personal data from unauthorized entities, including the administrators that can act as potential malicious insiders, and allows only the data owners to perform queries over these data. We evaluated our proposed solution by creating a proof-of-concept experimental setup that passively collects DNS data from a network and then uses the distributed ledger technology to store the data in an immutable ledger, thus providing a full historical overview of all the records.

Blockchain Technology Applied in IoV Demand Response Management: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract: Energy management in the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) is becoming more prevalent as the usage of distributed Electric Vehicles (EV) grows. As a result, Demand Response (DR) management has been introduced to achieve efficient energy management in IoV. Through DR management, EV drivers are allowed to adjust their energy consumption and generation based on a variety of parameters, such as cost, driving patterns and driving routes. Nonetheless, research in IoV DR management is still in its early stages, and the implementation of DR schemes faces a number of significant hurdles. Blockchain is used to solve some of them (e.g., incentivization, privacy and security issues, lack of interoperability and high mobility). For instance, blockchain enables the introduction of safe, reliable and decentralized Peer-to-Peer (P2P) energy trading. The combination of blockchain and IoV is a new promising approach to further improve/overcome the aforementioned limitations. However, there is limited literature in Demand Response Management (DRM) schemes designed for IoV. Therefore, there is a need for a systematic literature review (SLR) to collect and critically analyze the existing relevant literature, in an attempt to highlight open issues. Thus, in this article, we conduct a SLR, investigating how blockchain technology assists the area of DRM in IoV. We contribute to the body of knowledge by offering a set of observations and research challenges on blockchain-based DRM in IoV. In doing so, we allow other researchers to focus their work on them, and further contribute to this area.