Distributed ledger technology (DLT) company Iota has partnered with auto manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover for a proof-of-concept (PoC) demonstration for tracing car energy with DLT. Tracking energy source and usage Iota announced the news in an official blog post on Aug. 30. Per the announcement, Iota is partnering with Jaguar Land Rover and French energy R&D center Engie Lab Crigen for the demonstration. The demonstration aims to show the public both the source and use of a Jaguar I-Pace’s energy at the Trondheim Powerhouse, the building whose inauguration forms the background for the proof-of-concept. Russell Vickers, the manager of Jaguar …

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a primary governmental regulator, has settled charges with digital assets company Bitqyck Inc. and its founders. Smart contracts and crypto mining? The SEC announced the development in a press release on Aug. 29. According to the announcement, Bruce Bise and Sam Mendez­ are the founders of Bitqyck — a company that provided security offerings for digital assets Bitqy and BitqyM in Dallas, Texas. The company claimed that Bitqy tokens gave investors fractional shares of company stock via a smart contract. Additionally, Bitqyck said that BitqyM tokens would give holders interest in a …

Pat Gelsinger, the CEO of major cloud computing and virtual machine company VMWare, has condemned Bitcoin (BTC) as being “bad for humanity.” Fortune spoke to Gelsinger about Bitcoin prior to VMWare’s annual conference in San Francisco on Aug. 26. According to Gelsinger, one issue with Bitcoin is its purportedly high energy consumption, which contributes to climate change. Gelsinger said: “It takes the energy of a home, half-a-home a day, to do a single entry into a Bitcoin ledger [...] It’s climate intolerant, it is so extreme, it is bad design.” Gelsinger also claimed that people primarily use Bitcoin (BTC) for …

Energy-focused blockchain startup Power Ledger has extended its peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading trial into its next phase in the Australian city of Fremantle. In a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Aug. 21, Power Ledger revealed the continuation of its P2P solar power trading trial aimed at tracking rooftop solar energy traded between households in Fremantle. The households participating in the project can set their own energy prices in the market. ‘50,000 transactions per month’ The testing — which is a collaborative effort between Power Ledger, Curtin University, energy generating company Synergy, electricity network operator Western Power and energy services …

Society is now witnessing the implementation of digital currencies, artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology worldwide. These new digital technologies necessitate very high consumption of electric energy, which is currently produced with coal and fossil fuels that have adverse environmental effects. A global shift toward green energy will require the removal of the technological/infrastructural, financial and regulatory/tax-policy barriers. In this series, we evaluate the tax, digital technology and solar policies (including a space solar power satellite) of the top carbon dioxide-emitting countries. In 2009, Japan — the Land of the Rising Sun — undertook important initiatives that set the tone …

Austin-based Antelope Water Management has announced that it is going to start using a blockchain platform developed by Data Gumbo. The announcement appeared in a press release on Aug. 15. Antelope Water Management is a company that develops sustainability-focused water services for oil and gas extractions, while Data Gumbo provides blockchain services for the oil and gas industry. According to the release, Data Gumbo’s blockchain network, GumboNet, will provide Antelope’s customers and vendors with data transparency, automatic contract executions and payments. Antelope CEO Dustin Brownlow remarked: “Data Gumbo is a game changer enabling us to provide customers, vendors and regulators …

Australian energy technology company Power Ledger and Japanese Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) have completed a joint trial of a blockchain-based system for post-FIT (feed-in tariff) surplus power in Osaka. P2P transaction of surplus power In an announcement published on Aug. 12, Power Ledger revealed the test completion of a peer-to-peer system demonstrating benefits for post-FIT surplus power in the Japanese city of Osaka. The system purportedly enabled KEPCO to conduct a P2P transaction of surplus power autonomously and automatically, which included settlements with digital currency. Fumiaki Ishida, KEPCO representative general manager, commented on the development: “Although there are still …

The Congressional Research Service has released a report that examines, among other things, the potential advantages and disadvantages of pursuing blockchain-based solutions for the energy sector. The Congressional Research Service released their findings in a report on Aug. 9, entitled “Bitcoin, Blockchain, and the Energy Sector.” In its report, the research group noted that launching a blockchain solution which allows consumers to purchase energy services within a distributed system, in particular, could make for an energy system that is more transparent, efficient and flexible for the consumer. However, releasing such a service also comes with potential issues related to distribution …

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a grant worth $1.05 million to organizations working to commercialize a blockchain-based energy transaction platform. From energy management to energy exchange The news comes from an August 9 press release shared by energy company ComEd, one of the grant’s four reported recipient organizations. The others are the University of Denver, Virginia Tech and BEM Controls, a company specializing in energy management software. The new project is reportedly a continuation of BEM Controls’ existing DOE-funded work on software to enhance energy efficiency in buildings. This latest grant is to expand and promote …

The Iranian government has instituted a new law that does not accept crypto as legal tender or recognize domestic transactions carried out with cryptocurrencies. On Aug. 4, the Cabinet of Iran ratified and released a new bill saying that the government will not recognize any domestic trading activity involving cryptos, Iranian news agency PressTV reports today. Per the report, the new bill says that the government and the banking system will not view digital coins as legal tender, and Iran’s central bank will not guarantee their value. The new bill follows comments from the deputy governor of Iran’s central bank, …

Society is now witnessing the implementation of digital currencies, AI and blockchain technology worldwide. These new digital technologies, necessitate very high consumption of electric energy, currently produced with coal and fossil fuels with adverse environmental effects. A global shift towards green energy will require the removal of the technological/infrastructure, financial and regulatory/tax policy barriers. In a series of articles, we will evaluate the tax, digital technology and solar policies (including space power satellites) of the top CO2 emitting countries. The United States is at the forefront of blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) technology adoption — both the government and private …

Marubeni Corp., a major Japanese sōgō shōsha, or general trading company, is now backing a blockchain-based power trading platform. Per a report by Reuters on July 23, Marubeni has issued a loan to Lithuania-based blockchain project WePower. According to Reuters, the size of Marubeni’s stake in WePower after converting the loan is yet to be determined. WePower has reportedly developed a platform which allows small- and medium-sized enterprises to more easily buy power specifically from wind- and solar-based sources via standardized digital power purchase agreements. The platform aims to unlock tens of billions of dollars in power generation to smaller …