New blockchain applications and further decentralisation advances the growth and adoption of EW Chain as an energy sector technology.
The newest member to join the Energy Web industry non-profit is the Spanish solar PV manufacturer Zytech Group. Together, the two organizations have launched an initiative to develop blockchain-ready solar PV systems that are out-of-the-box compatible to transact on Energy Web’s open-source Decentralized Operating System (EW-DOS).
Such compatibility should enable owners of these systems to easily participate in blockchain-based renewable trading and flexibility offerings, among others.
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“We see solar power and blockchain technology as highly complementary cornerstones of the energy transition,” said Enrique Zueco, CEO of Zytech Group’s blockchain subsidiary, Zytech123. “Blockchain provides a key digital infrastructure that enables further acceleration of the fast-growing solar market.”
San Francisco-based Zytec123 is specializing in traceability technology and tokenizing solutions. The traceability solutions, implemented with its solar panels, are designed to guarantee the accuracy of the manufacturing process and the authenticity of the product and its components up to delivery to the end customer.
Digital asset security
Gibraltar-based blockchain company Gnosis is the other most recent member to join Energy Web. The organizations are partnering to offer Gnosis Safe services, a multisig enterprise solution for managing digital assets, on Energy Web’s Volta test network and its EW Chain production network. As part of the partnership, Gnosis will host validator nodes for both Volta and EW Chain.
Gnosis originally deployed a multi-signature wallet in early 2017. Gnosis Safe, its successor with improved user experience and security features, will be adapted to the Energy Web architecture.
“Few industries understand asset security as well as the energy sector. We’re proud to bring similar security to their digital assets in the ongoing transition to a distributed energy future,” says Stefan George, CTO of Gnosis.
New validators
The EW Chain launched with 10 validators in June 2019. The addition of the latest validator brings the number to 30 spanning 18 time zones across the world and supporting the further decentralization of the network.
Validators effectively operate and govern the blockchain network. EW Chain is believed to be the only blockchain in any sector in which the sector players exclusively run the validator nodes. New validators include the utilities Austrian Power Grid, EDF, Stedin and TEPCO, renewables vendors Acciona and Vestas and telco giant Vodafone.
More validators are due to join in the coming months, reaching 50 or more by June 2021 Energy Web anticipates.
Energy Web also anticipates several further community initiatives to be launched during the remainder of 2020. These include a new EW Chain test network, bridges to additional non-energy blockchain communities, a toolkit focused on electric vehicle charging, and additional investments into the EW-DOS stack.