The Australian government has announced it will be providing a grant for a blockchain-powered smart utilities project.

The funding will provide AU$8 million to the project, which is due to be set up in the City of Fremantle. An additional AU$5.68 will be provided by project partners, including blockchain firm Power Ledger.

In a blog post, Power Ledger describes the project as:

“The trial will involve highly resilient, low-carbon and low-cost systems installed and connected using blockchain technology. A large solar photovoltaic (PV) plant, rooftop solar PV panels, a precinct sized battery, an electric vehicle charge station and precinct water treatment and capture systems will be orchestrated using blockchain technology and data analytics, and demonstrate the interconnected infrastructure of future smart cities.”

Among the other partners involved in the project are Curtin University, Murdoch University and Cisco.

Ongoing sustainability

Commenting on the project, Brad Pettitt, mayor of the City of Fremantle, said:

“We are delighted to host this project in the City of Fremantle. This collaboration between existing infrastructure, renewable energy and innovative technology fits with our One Planet zero carbon energy target and will help us to secure the ongoing sustainability of essential services for communities that live here.”

Project management will be handled by Curtin University. What this will entail was detailed by Professor Greg Morrison:

“We will develop a smart metering, battery storage and blockchain trading system to allow energy and water efficiencies between critical dispersed infrastructures that would otherwise have required physical co-location.”

The project is due to start in two months’ time and will run for approximately two years.

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