Two small Sicilian islands, Lampedusa and Favignana, are testing energy ‘microgrids’ based on renewables and blockchain technology.

Vincenzo Tenerello lives in Favignana. His company, SEA, is involved in an innovative project that he is trialling at home.

He is not only a consumer but also a producer of energy, thanks to BloRin: a secure system for transferring data between users without intermediaries, a blockchain-like system used for crypto-currencies.

“I’m part of the blockchain,” Vincenzo told Smart Regions. “The energy that I can produce using photovoltaic panels and that I don’t consume, I can sell on the grid and I can give to my neighbour or to someone who belongs to the same blockchain. The more of us there are, the more we save.”