Blockchain for Energy Trading in Energy Communities Using Stochastic and Distributed Model Predictive Control

In this article, a stochastic programming method is used to control a residential microgrid where possible disturbance realizations over a horizon are shaped into a tree structure with a given probability. This tree is used by model predictive controllers within a hierarchical and distributed scheme. The upper layer is characterized by a smart contract deployed in the blockchain, acting as a fully distributed coordinator that performs control tasks and collects and distributes relevant data. The bottom layer consists of individual agents that solve locally a reduced tree-based model predictive control (TBMPC) problem and interact with the smart contract to iteratively optimize the overall problem in a distributed fashion. The performance of the approach is demonstrated through several simulations in which various power-trading configurations are assessed.