On March 9, blockchain technology provider Unibright (UBT) announced a partnership with German startup Wasserkraft Mittelrhein to use the Unibright Framework to facilitate decentralized renewable energy trading. The partnership will see the firm join Wasserkraft Mittelrhein to facilitate trading, monitoring and data analysis of renewable energy produced by decentralized power plants using the Unibright Framework. Unibright proposes a “smart grid” system, where disparate small electricity producers engage directly with energy consumers via blockchain technology. Unibright to provide blockchain technology for “Project Power-Buoy” Wasserkraft Mittelrhein is an innovative power coming aiming to generate renewable energy using hydroelectric buoys. The “strombojen”, or …

Recently, the cryptocurrency mining community has been shaken with rumors of Chinese miners leaving Iran — where crypto mining is authorized as an industrial activity — for Central Asia. The move has ostensibly been taken in an attempt to find a new safe haven amid the tensions between the United States and Iran, as well as rising oil and energy prices. Iran’s attraction for crypto mining operations lies in subsidized electricity rates — as of July, 0.7 cent per kilowatt-hour (kWh), — which had purportedly even prompted miners from mining centers such as China to relocate their operations to the …

Australia-based blockchain energy firm Power Ledger has purchased a 250 kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic system that will utilize a blockchain-based data management and settlement system. Per a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Jan. 13, Power Ledger purchased the system from Perdaman Advanced Energy, an Australian firm that provides clean energy consulting and project development. The new system will be located in Maddington and integrate a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to make renewable energy trading more transparent. Transformation of the energy market “The renewable energy that the Maddington asset generates will be tracked using blockchain technology to provide a verified audit …

Abkhazia, an autonomous region in northwest Georgia, is planning to intensify the works on the identification of cryptocurrency mining farms in the region. According to a news release published on the Cabinet of Ministers’ website on Dec. 12, Prime Minister of Abkhazia Valeri Bganba held a meeting dedicated to the current state of the region’s electricity grids. The meeting saw the presence of representatives of the State Security Service, the Ministry of Economy, and the state electric utility Chernomorenergo RUE, among others. Significantly increased loads on electric grids During the meeting, some of the participants brought to notice that the …

Iranian authorities are offering a bounty to anyone who exposes unauthorized mining operations in the country, Iranian news outlet PressTV reports on Nov. 13. A spokesman of the Energy Ministry announced the bounty program during an interview with local news outlet IRIB News, while illustrating the new electricity pricing mechanism for miners. Mostafa Rajabi, the spokesman in question, said yesterday that people who expose cryptocurrency mining operations that are illicitly using subsidized electricity will receive up to 20% of the recovery of damages. Rajabi told reporters that new regulations ban miners from operating during the hours of peak consumption of …

Australian blockchain energy firm Power Ledger and Indian electricity distribution company BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) have completed a peer-to-peer (P2P) solar power trading trial in the country. Power Ledger announced the news in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Nov. 14, detailing that it carried out a large-scale P2P energy trading trial in the Dwarka region, South West Delhi, which initially comprised 5-6 megawatts (MW) of already existing solar infrastructure serving an array of gated communities. Monetization of solar energy assets investments The project enabled residents with rooftop solar infrastructure to sell excess solar energy to neighboring households. …

Australian blockchain energy firm Power Ledger has partnered with a local energy retailer to roll out its technology in South Australia. Power Ledger’s blockchain-based software will allow Australians to pool their excess solar and battery storage to a Virtual Power Plant for greater control and management over their energy. Commercial deal with Australian electricity wholesaler Powerclub Within the partnership, Power Ledger will be integrating its blockchain-based energy trading application Virtual Power Plant (VPP) to a commercial offering of Australian electricity wholesaler Powerclub, the firm announced Nov. 7. Similarly to other recent initiatives by Power Ledger, the new project intends to …

Energy blockchain applications are expected to see a 67% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next ten years, according to new research. Annual market size to reach $7.7 billion in 2028 Navigant Research, Colorado-based market research and consulting team, has released a report devoted to the development of blockchain applications in the energy industry on Oct. 22. Titled “Energy Blockchain Applications Overview,” the research provides an analysis of the blockchain market by region and segment as well as global forecasts of blockchain-driven revenue in the energy market until 2028. As such, global energy blockchain implementations are forecasted to generate …

Australian tech firm Power Ledger will run another blockchain-enabled energy trading trial in Japan’s Kanto region by December 2019. In order to launch its second trial in the country, Power Ledger has teamed up with Japanese solar provider Sharing Energy and electricity retailer eRex, the company said in a news release shared with Cointelegraph on Oct. 3. Main region of Japan’s economy The new Power Ledger’s trial will track surplus solar energy levels and electricity trading, integrating blockchain-enabled P2P platform with household smart meter systems in the Kanto region. With Tokyo located in Kanto, the region is considered to be …

Kyrgyzstan has cut off power to 45 crypto mining firms as they consumed more energy than three local regions combined. Senior energy official Aitmamat Nazarov has warned cryptocurrency mining is not defined under Kyrgyzstan law, local news agency AKIpress reported on Sept. 20. 136 MW of electricity used According to Nazarov, 45 crypto miners consumed 136 megawatts of electricity, which is more than the amount consumed by three Kyrgyzstan regions: Issyk-Kul, Talas and Naryn. Cheap energy pricing Kyrgyzstan has become a popular site for global cryptocurrency mining firms due to cheap energy prices. In August, the country's Ministry of Economy …

Bitcoin (BTC) mining infrastructure firm Northern Bitcoin AG has announced the completion of tests for its new air-cooled mining container, which houses 144 ASIC miners. A press release published on Sept. 9 outlined that the highly mobile container solution has been designed as a piece of flexible and efficient infrastructure that will enable the firm to establish mining pools in countries with year-round cool locations. Setting up shop anywhere energy is cheap, sustainable Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Northern AG develops and operates Bitcoin-focused mining hardware that uses renewable energy sources and aims to attain optimal efficiency and sustainability. The …

Malaysian power utility firm Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) is tightening measures in a bid to stem the millions lost to electricity theft by Bitcoin (BTC) miners. According to an Aug. 15 report from local real estate news site EdgeProp, tampered electricity distribution boards used in local Bitcoin mining operations have cost TNB RM106 million ($25.3 million) as of June 2019. There have been 437 cases of mining-related power theft in Peninsular Malaysia over this time period, 370 of which were recorded in the state of Selangor. Up to 3 years imprisonment TNB is the sole electricity utility firm in Peninsular …