The energy sector is in the midst of a major transformation, driven by new climate regulations and a political tendency towards a nuclear phase-out, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality for power generation and increased efficiency in electric grids. As a result, most power grids are encouraging higher integration of distributed energy resources and greater involvement of consumers in the energy management of the grid, served by a considerable application of smart technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, etc. This digital transformation at the core of the energy sector promises heavy disruptions, changing it from a centralized, segregated supply chain to a decarbonized, decentralized, and digitalized interconnected smart platform.

Blockchain as a transparent, secure, and decentralized trading platform, has gained the interest of businesses and industries worldwide unlocking new business models and promising new revenue streams. This promise is particularly potent, in the energy industry, when deployed at the grid edge, where increased consumer involvement and transparency are required. Blockchain based energy demand side management programs or energy peer-to-peer trading models, are typical solutions to be considered. In this chapter, blockchain applications in the energy sector are addressed along with their social, economic, and environmental impacts.