Microgrid and Blockchain: Bringing Sustainable Electricity to Myanmar

Myanmar’s limited electricity infrastructure presents an opportunity to privately develop microgrids that are separate from the existing centralized grid system. The technological breakthroughs in microgrid and blockchain systems enable private investors to develop blockchain-based microgrid systems that allow prosumers- consumers who also produce energy with household solar panels- to freely trade energy within the microgrid community. A blockchain-based microgrid system that incentivizes all parties to optimally produce and consume electricity according to the aggregate supply and demand is proposed to minimize the need for storage and ensure efficient allocation of energy. Examples of the combination of blockchain and renewable energy already exist, such as SolarCoin, the first solar energy-based digital currency. A pilot project for a blockchain-based microgrid system is underway in Brooklyn Microgrid (BMG). These pilot projects are collecting data and adjusting their models to build a scalable blockchain-based microgrid model. More pilot projects are needed in Myanmar in order to identify the specific regional challenges and variables required for building an optimal, socially inclusive model.