Stedin
Blockchain Flexibility
This research project focussed on Blockchain applications in the Energy Industry, targeting Flexibility in the grid. Next to extensive desk research, interviews were collected and a bespoke advice was given for Stedin's goals and ambitions.
Stedin benefitted from:
- Leading Industry Insights
- Thorough discussions that feed the internal processes
- A report that despite the technical, complex nature of the subject was relatively easy to digest.
Problem
With a fast-developing topic such as blockchain, it is challenging to keep up with the latest and greatest. Stedin is a Dutch DSO who is a member of EWF and within the blockchain world known for their LES blockchain project. For this research project, Stedin was looking for:
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An update on the market. What projects are other doing globally, focussing on energy and more specifically: flexibility.
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With the different technologies and projects, how are ecosystems developing? Is there a typical approach emerging, for example, top-down or bottom-up?
Solution
The solution I offered was a research report diving deeper in these questions, while also having room to explore new venues as the project uncovered them.
Execution
The research project consists of three steps. The foundation was a desk research study, accompanied by a series of in-depth interviews. The closing placed the findings within the Stedin context with advice on the next steps to pursue.
Step 1: Desk Research
This research formed the foundation, an update from the market and some technical developments since the last update Stedin did. It consists of desk research using online sources only.
Step 2: Interviews
Some conducted interviews allowed to further zoom in on the ecosystem development. We took care to have interviews representing both the bottom-up and the top-down approach for an ecosystem.
Step 3: Relevance for Stedin
The report distilled relevant lessons for Stedin by combining the desk research and the input from the interviews.
What Stedin liked:
“Good to see that it has not turned out to be a hard-to-digest scientific report, but rather an easier to comprehend paper. It has helped us think of blockchain critically again and has fed our internal discussion.”
Jan Pellis
Innovation & Strategy Manager, Stedin
Bart Smakman
Productmanager Flexibility, Stedin
Results
Stedin is pleased with the resulting report as it was delivered. The update on where ‘the world’ is with blockchain, specifically for the flexibility use case has helped Stedin get a good overview of the current playing field.
The interviews have been an excellent contribution to the research, helping clarify what is brewing in ecosystem development.
Overall, the study sparked conversations within Stedin on blockchain and fed the internal discussion on next steps. Stedin is happy to see that the report did not end up as a hard-to-digest scientific report but leans more towards an easier to digest style.
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