IKEA’s Research Laboratory Applies Blockchain in Renewable Energy Projects

[Goodcat49]

Copenhagen-based furniture giant IKEA’s research laboratory Space10 has successfully created a small wooden village to exhibit how communities could craft their individual circular clean energy system. The project uses solar panels and blockchain to make an operational energy system through a neighbor-to-neighbor trading system.

Bas Van De Poel, creative director at SPACE10 said:

“Centralized energy systems are often too slow and economically inadequate to reach the billion people who remain locked in energy poverty”.

He continued:

“SolarVille showcases that, when functioning in tandem, technologies like solar panels, micro-grids and blockchain technology open new opportunities: off-grid systems enabling people to leapfrog traditional grid electricity.”

SolarVille Project
Space10 and Architecture practice SachsNottveit developed the idea together with the blockchain technology experts BLOC, WeMoveIdeas as well as Blocktech, that would enable miniature towns to create and share their own cheap, renewable energy.

The system is a functional prototype of a village known as SolarVille, constructed to a 1:50 scale. It encompasses a wide range of small wooden houses that are irradiated by a pendulous lamp to emulate the sun.

"Our design approach was to turn a very complex, technical project into something acquainted, friendly and playful," revealed SachsNottveit co-founder Anders Nottveit.

The idea sees households produce their own renewable energy with the help of solar panels, excess electricity produced can be bought by other homes within the community straight from the power generator using blockchain.

It targets to give free and full access to renewable energy by launching co-operative micro-grids in several miniature village communities.

"SolarVille is a determined yet fully realizable concept for the future," Space10 noted. "[It's] power to the people in its cleanest form. People purchase renewable energy from their own community, which implies the money remains in their community."   

Read the details in the article of Coinidol dot com, the world blockchain news outlet: https://coinidol.com/ikeas-research-blockchain/