A review of blockchain consensus mechanisms for Peer-to-Peer electricity trading

The growing utilization of renewable energy and the diversification of electricity services are expected to be the prominent characteristics of future electricity trading. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) electricity markets are considered as promising trading platforms that can accommodate new trading participants and meet flexible trading requirements. Among various P2P implementation platforms, blockchain has demonstrated its potential in facilitating electricity trading. This paper adopts a blockchain-centric perspective and provides a taxonomy of mainstream consensus mechanisms currently used in electricity trading. Representative consensus mechanisms are carefully chosen, and the latest research in the electricity market is incorporated to explore their advantages, disadvantages, and potential application scenarios. Finally, This paper concludes by summarizing the future research trends related to consensus mechanisms in P2P electricity trading.