To this end, the German Energy Agency (dena), together with 21 partners, is starting the development of a digital register for device identities – the «Blockchain Machine Identity Ledger».

The Ledger helps further develop system-related services and market-oriented applications. It integrates the Smart Meter Gateway (SMGW) – a communication unit of intelligent measuring systems – as an anchor of trust. The pilot project goes hand in hand with the German government's smart-meter rollout plans and could drive these forward through smart meter-based business models.

In order for a large number of companies to be able to participate in the market in the future, low communication costs for the sharing of data are necessary as well as secure, reliable, interoperable and traceable systems that verify this information. The Ledger aims to connect the rapidly increasing interfaces in the energy system and to enable cost-efficient coordination.