Technology giant Bosch and the Austrian energy provider Wien Energie have developed a fridge with incorporated blockchain technology. This allows consumers to switch between sources of energy, either solar panels or wind power plants. Each kilowatt used by the fridge can be traced to its origin. This was announced by the energy company this week.
According to Bosch it's the first time a fridge is being connected to a blockchain network. Consumers can operate their fridge through their smartphone. This way they can control the temperature of the fridge and freezer, check whether the door is properly closed and trace the energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
The fridge is not yet on sale. Wien Energy and Bosch will test the fridge in a pilot with three customers in the coming months. The introduction of the fridge presents an opportunity to reduce the waste of energy, 'creating a transparent and user-friendly energy market'.
This isn't the only blockchain initiative from Wien Energy. The company is planning trials to implement the technology and infrastructure in unnamed urban development areas. A trial for this project will start within the next few months with the participation of approximately one hundred residents. Wien Energy is also considering to launch a charger for electric cars, based on distributed ledger technology.
