News
March 3, 2021

Tata Power-DDL rolls out live peer-to-peer (P2P) solar energy trading, a first-of-its-kind pilot project in Delhi

Project brings live solar energy trading to Indian capital.

Highlights

  • The project will bolster India’s rapid adoption of renewable energy; powered by Power Ledger and India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF).
  • Power Ledger’s blockchain-enabled technology facilitates peer-to-peer (P2P) trading of solar power from over 2MW of solar PV systems. The first pilot of its kind in Delhi currently in progress between 65 prosumers and 75 consumer sites in the capital – 140 buildings and counting.
  • The full-scale P2P trading trial will test out various trading logics and continue until June 2021, with recommendations provided to the Regulator.

Delhi, India & Perth, Australia – March 03, 2021: India’s rapid adoption of renewable energy has been bolstered with the rollout of the first live solar energy trading project in Delhi, spearheaded by Tata Power DDL, a leading power distribution utility serving a populace of 7 million in Delhi, and Australian technology company Power Ledger in collaboration with India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF).

The landmark project involving Tata Power-DDL, a joint venture between Tata Power India’s largest integrated power company, and the Government of NCT of Delhi , uses Power Ledger’s blockchain-enabled technology to facilitate peer-to-peer (P2P) trading of electricity from over 2 MW of solar PV between multiple consumers in its license area of North Delhi – part of the capital city of India.

Under the project, an end total of about 150 sites that include TPDDL’s locations as well as their actual customers with solar generation (prosumers) will be using the platform to sell their excess energy to other residential and commercial sites in a dynamic pricing environment, with benefit from P2P energy trades.

Consumers can choose which seller (prosumer) to buy electricity from, with Power Ledger’s blockchain audit trail of energy transactions providing near-time settlement and complete transparency throughout the entire process.

This project enables development of an integrated ecosystem of grid-connected, distributed energy resources including EV Charging Stations and Battery Energy Storage Systems that can directly participate in the P2P Marketplace.

“India is on a fast-track to a greener power mix with aggressive renewable energy targets that include 100GW of solar energy, of which 40GW is to come from rooftop solar,” said Power Ledger Co-Founder and Chairman Dr Jemma Green.

“Power Ledger’s partnership with ISGF and a major energy provider like Tata Power-DDL is a major milestone in advancing these ambitious targets and introducing the concept of energy trading to the world’s second-biggest city,” she added.

The comprehensive P2P trading trial that will continue until June 2021 will test out several trading algorithms, including dynamic trading, which creates an energy auction pool for prosumers and consumers. The trial will also include a comprehensive report and provide recommendations to the regulator to consider a bespoke provision and trading rules to promote P2P trading of electricity and accelerate the growth of rooftop solar in the state.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Ganesh Srinivasan, CEO, Tata Power-DDL, said, “Tata Power-DDL is focused towards building a ‘Utility of the Future’ and transforming the power distribution space through innovative green technologies, collaborations and initiatives. It is always looking at how it can increase the services it can offer to its consumers. Today, with growing rooftop solar power being available, we believe that peer-to-peer solar power trading can offer customers the flexibility to buy green power from those who have solar power in excess of their own consumption. We are happy to join hands with Power Ledger and ISGF for this first of its kind P2P pilot in the capital city. I believe it will not only pave the way for a faster adoption of solar energy trading but will also empower our consumers to become prosumers.”

“India is about to delicense power distribution business and make open access to retail customers enabling them to buy electricity from anybody from anywhere. In that scenario, blockchain platform for P2P trading of electricity will be a perfect game changer for the clean energy revolution in the country. We have already done another successful pilot project in Uttar Pradesh. The results of these two projects should instill confidence in the regulators to draw appropriate regulations for scaling up of P2P trading of electricity in India” said Mr. Reji Kumar Pillai, President – India Smart Grid Forum.

This Project is aligned with the following International/National initiatives:

  1. International Solar Alliance: ‘To scale up solar energy, reduce the cost of solar power generation through aggregation of demand for solar finance, technologies, innovation, research and development, and capacity building’. This project will incentivize prosumers by giving them access to the market where they can sell their surplus energy. This will further scale up adoption of grid connected RTPV among customers.
  2. National Strategy on Blockchain, MEITY: P2P Energy Trading Project brings the revolutionary blockchain technology to the Indian Power Sector.

Power Ledger has more than 25 projects in 10 countries, including several in Europe, Australasia and the North American regions, including a project to create a Renewable Energy Certificate marketplace in the USA and the broader Southeast Asian region.


Let's chat

Get in touch