Sonnen and Tennet prepare smart-storage systems using blockchain
German energy storage company Sonnen and Dutch transmission system operator Tennet have begun a six-month pilot grid-stabilisation project using blockchain technology from IBM. Sonnen will link its decentralised residential storage systems to Tennet’s distribution system. The two firms are set to collaborate on another blockchain pilot in the Netherlands, building recharge stations for electric vehicles, at the end of this month.
After several months of preparation, Sonnen and Tennet have started their first grid-stabilization pilot project, using interconnected storage systems based on IBM's blockchain technology.

The companies will run the pilot project over a six-month period. Initially, Sonnen will connect its decentralized residential storage systems to Tennet’s distribution system via blockchain. The blockchain project is part of a wider program at Tennet as it prepares to transition to clean energy. However, power distributors will also seek news ways to reduce dispatch costs through such pilot projects. Dispatch costs reached around €800 million in Germany last year.

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Sonnen and Tennet will also start implementing another pilot project using blockchain technology in the Netherlands by the end of this month. The project, which is backed by local power provider Vandebron, involves building recharge stations for electric vehicles.