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Access control mechanism in distributed smart power plants based on blockchain and ciphertext updatable functional encryption

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Abstract

With the advancement of smart power plants, electricity consumers are transitioning from a passive electricity consumption model to an intelligent consumption model. However, distributed power equipment and the vast amounts of electricity consumption data they generate pose significant information security risks. Traditional access control mechanisms cannot meet the security needs of distributed smart power plants. To address this issue, this paper introduces a distributed smart power plant access control mechanism based on blockchain and ciphertext updatable functional encryption. Firstly, the decentralized and tamper-proof features of blockchain technology ensure the integrity, transparency, and security of data transmission, effectively preventing data tampering and leakage. Secondly, by incorporating ciphertext updatable functional encryption, we guarantee data confidentiality and achieve fine-grained access control over electricity consumption data. This allows users to independently and precisely control data sharing and access. Furthermore, by deploying smart contracts with trust mechanisms on the blockchain, automated management of storage and access is achieved. Through a comprehensive evaluation of trust levels, trust values, and honesty, the system not only enhances its efficiency but also ensures that only legitimate entities can access data resources, thus preserving the utility of electricity consumption data. In addition, the adoption of decentralized unique identifiers on the blockchain for user authentication and authorization strengthens user privacy protection and data sovereignty. Lastly, experimental results demonstrate that this mechanism, while ensuring security, maintains a high level of efficiency, meeting the complex security requirements of distributed smart power plants.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 62072249).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guoneng Zhejiang Beilun No.1 Power Generation Co., Ltd, Jingang West Road, Ningbo, 315800, Zhejiang, China

    Yizhe Zhou & Xianwei Zhu

  2. China Electric Power Research Institute, Nanrui Road, Nanjing, 210003, Jiangsu, China

    Ailin Chen

  3. Zhejiang Laboratory, Wenyi West Road, Hangzhou, 311100, Zhejiang, China

    Zhouyang Zhang

  4. Engineering Research Center of Digital Forensics of Ministry of Education, School of Computer, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Ningliu Road, Nanjing, 210044, Jiangsu, China

    Pengchong Han & Jiang Xu

  5. College of Computer Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, No. 29 Yudao Street, Nanjing, 210000, Jiangsu, China

    Feng Zhang & Zhaoyang Han

  6. Beijing Shougang Automation Information Technology Co., Ltd., Qunminghu Street, Beijing, 100041, China

    Bo Lan

Authors
  1. Yizhe Zhou
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  8. Jiang Xu
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Contributions

Yizhe Zhou: Conceptualization, Writing - original draft. Xianwei Zhu: Supervision, Resources. Ailin Chen: Software, Figures. Zhouyang Zhang: Methodology, Data curation. Pengchong Han: Supervision, Writing - review & editing. Feng Zhang: Software, Validation. Zhaoyang Han: Formal analysis, Data curation. Jiang Xu: Formal analysis, Validation. Bo Lan: Supervision.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bo Lan.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection: Special Issue on Affordable and Clean Energy

Guest Editors: Dajiang Chen, Ning Zhang, and Chunpeng Ge

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Zhou, Y., Zhu, X., Chen, A. et al. Access control mechanism in distributed smart power plants based on blockchain and ciphertext updatable functional encryption. Peer-to-Peer Netw. Appl. 17, 1021–1035 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12083-024-01622-0

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