A Cybersecurity Transaction Energy System Using Multi-Tier Blockchain

Abstract

Cybersecurity incidents are becoming more frequent due to the high degree of penetration that information and communication technologies have in our daily lives. One of the critical infrastructures that has benefited the most in recent years from the broad integration of technologies has been the smart grid. Smart metering systems allow, among other things, the monitoring of energy consumption and production readings that are translated into monetary transactions. The tampering and manipulation of the smart meter readings are reflected in economic losses for the utilities and loss of confidence in the end-users. This work presents a cybersecurity architecture based on a multitier blockchain capable of adapting to smart metering systems' architecture through an edge-fog-cloud distributed computing scheme. The proposed architecture is highly scalable to the various components of smart metering systems and improves the performance of blockchains in aspects such as storage and processing. This blockchain uses its own consensus algorithm proof-of-efficiency, which allows benefiting end-users through more efficient use of their energy consumption considering the power quality, the forecast of the demand, and the support for detecting theft and energy fraud. The consensus algorithm uses the same architecture proposed to determine users' rewards through data analytics and machine learning techniques. All of this lays the foundation for a more intelligent, more transactional, and cybersecure metering system. The architecture developed was tested to guarantee the cybersecurity of the transactions carried out in the smart metering systems. The results obtained suggest that using a blockchain architecture allows improving the cybersecurity of smart metering systems and giving end-users greater confidence in their energy transactions, being able to receive better economic incentives by making more efficient use of their energy consumption.