Fair Energy Trading in Blockchain-Inspired Smart Grid: Technological Barriers and Future Trends in the Age of Electric Vehicles  
[PERSON]  
1 Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering, Sciences, and Technology, Iqra University,  
Karachi 75500, Pakistan 11 Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering, Sciences, and Technology, Iqra University,  
distributed generation plant that is being consumed by users on the grid. It is worth noting that, besides the traditional roles of electricity producers and electricity consumers on the grid, there is also a third hybrid entity called \"prosumer\"; prosumers can selectively supply the grid with electrical energy when producing surplus energy after meeting their own domestic needs or consume energy from the grid when energy demand exceeds its production capacity. The increasing global demand for energy and the urgent need for sustainable practices have spurred significant interest in SG technologies [1; 2; 3; 4], especially with the rise in the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy generation. The data show that global electricity demand from EVs increased by 3631% over the last decade, from 2600 gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2013 to 97,000 GWh in 2023. The global electricity demand from EVs will rise to 710,000 GWh by 2030 [5]. SGs promise greater efficiency, reliability, and integration of various renewable energy sources (RESs) [2]. However, significant challenges remain, particularly in managing the intermittent nature of renewables, ensuring grid stability with fluctuating supply and demand equation, especially with the rise in the EV consumer market that is still emerging, and securely handling energy transactions [3; 4]. In 2021, SG technologies were valued at USD 43.1 billion and are projected to reach USD 103.4 billion by 2026 [3]. Recently, many consumers have also become producers, known as \"prosumers\", through the installation of small green-energy generators at their premises, such as solar or wind power. This allows them to meet their own energy demands and sell surplus electricity back to the grid. This concept extends to microgrids [2; 3; 4; 5; 6], which can be viewed as miniature models of the national grid with their own generation, transmission, and distribution networks. Microgrids may operate independently (in islanded mode) [2] when their generation capacity matches their load, but when their capacity exceeds the target load, they can connect to the national grid, thus meeting their own energy needs and selling surplus electricity. Microgrids may typically be small electricity-generation plants using renewable energy, e.g., solar, wind farms, or fossil fuels. With the growing use of EVs and their potential to act as mobile energy storage units, new challenges and opportunities arise within SGs [7]. EVs can significantly contribute to grid stability by storing and supplying energy when needed. As EVs become more prevalent, managing their integration into the grid and optimizing their use for energy transactions become crucial. Other independent power projects (IPPs) have also begun electricity generation using conventional (thermal) or green technologies (solar and wind). These projects can supply electricity to the national grid, breaking the traditional model of a single, monopolized national grid and introducing a dynamic electricity market akin to a financial stock market, where competition drives rapid fluctuations in electricity prices. In this emerging scenario, blockchain technology [6; 8; 9; 10; 11] offers a robust solution for secure data publishing and executing transactions. Blockchain provides a reliable framework for financial transactions, preventing fraud and ensuring secure data distribution and publishing. The blockchain's potential extends to the EV sector, where it can facilitate secure and transparent transactions for energy trading, including EV charging and discharging activities.