Sponsor: IEEE Foothill Section Computer Society Chapter
Speaker: Dr. Raja Jurdak, Professor of Distributed Systems and Chair in Applied Data Sciences at Queensland University of Technology

Date: 18 Mar 2025
Time: 05:00 PM to 06:00 PM
Cost:
Location:
Reservations: IEEE
Summary:
Human society is confronting the grand challenges of climate change and rising energy demand, necessitating a fundamental reshaping of how we generate, transmit, and consume energy. As a result, the concept of the smart grid emerged in the early 21st century, setting the strategic direction for next-generation power systems designed for greater efficiency and sustainability, including increased integration of renewable energy sources.

At the heart of smart grids lies the power distribution network, which is characterized by high penetration of distributed renewable resources, flexible loads, and advanced sensing infrastructure. The shift from centralized to distributed energy generation has given rise to energy prosumers—entities capable of both producing and consuming energy, such as buildings equipped with solar panels. This evolution demands the creation of an energy trading mechanism that ensures security, participant privacy, and supports energy economics.

Recently, blockchain technology has gained attention as a means to enable decentralized, secure, and anonymous energy trading frameworks. While blockchain offers anonymity through changeable public keys (PKs), existing solutions often struggle with privacy concerns, processing overheads, and dependence on trusted third parties for security.

This presentation, Blockchain for Distributed Energy Management, will introduce our solutions for enabling secure, private, and decentralized energy trading using blockchain. Our design features methods for anonymizing routing within energy trading networks and securely verifying the authenticity and location of smart meters. Additionally, we explore how electric vehicles can serve as mobile batteries within the grid, contributing to the emerging concept of the Internet of Mobile Energy.

Bio: Dr. Raja Jurdak is a Professor of Distributed Systems and Chair in Applied Data Sciences at Queensland University of Technology, where he is Head of School of Computer Science, co-Director of the QUT Energy Transition Centre and Director of the Trusted Networks Lab. He received his Ph.D. in Information and Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine. Previously, he established and led the Distributed Sensing Systems Group at CSIRO’s Data61, Australia’s National Science Agency. Dr. Jurdak has also held visiting academic appointments at MIT and Oxford University in 2011 and 2017, respectively.

His research interests focus on trust, mobility, and energy efficiency in networks. He has published over 300 peer-reviewed publications, including three (co-)authored books, most recently on Blockchain in Cyberphysical Systems (2020). His work has garnered over 17,000 citations.