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e-Traceroute: Physically traceable electricity routing for carbon-free energy utilization

Shiu Mochiyama, Ryo Takahashi, Yoshihiko Susuki

arXiv:2609.12348v1eess.SYcs.SY

TL;DR

Sharing unused residential battery capacity could help increase photovoltaic self-consumption, but the paper frames this as requiring physically traceable electricity exchanges. It presents e-Traceroute, which couples power routing and information over the same infrastructure; prototype experiments demonstrate coordinated power transfers and information transactions. The authors identify higher-layer protocols for optimizing multi-agent exchanges as future work.

  • Problem

    Sharing unused battery capacity is proposed as a way to increase community-wide photovoltaic self-consumption.

    Source: §1 · p. 2

  • Method

    e-Traceroute couples power routing and information flows through a hardware-level integration, using PLC and a one-to-one routing architecture.

    Source: §1 · p. 3, §2.1 · p. 3

  • Results

    Multi-port prototype experiments demonstrated coordinated control of power routing and information transactions.

    Source: §3 · p. 9

  • Takeaways & Limitations

    The physical integration provides a foundation for active power-flow control based on distributed information processing.

    Source: §3 · p. 9

    Higher-layer protocols for optimizing multi-agent electricity exchanges remain for future research.

    Source: §3 · p. 11

Abstract

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Maximizing the self-consumption of residential photovoltaic generation is a promising pathway to meet urgent decarbonization targets for 2030 (and even for 2035). A viable solution is to create a sharing economy for idle battery capacity within a community. To achieve this, utilizing shared physical assets necessitates complete physical traceability of power flows---the capability to strictly trace the ownership of stored energy among multiple participants. Furthermore, physical traceability is an essential function for demonstrating the use of carbon-free energy resources. Such tracing is impossible in conventional systems owing to two fundamental limitations: the mixing of power flows in a common bus and the decoupling of power and information delivery. This study presents a novel physical-layer technology, called e-Traceroute, that overcomes these limitations and realizes physically traceable electricity exchanges. Specifically, physically distinguishable power routing and data transmission are unified over the same power lines. Prototyping experiments demonstrate successful integration of power transfers and information transactions, validating that the proposed system serves as a physical foundation for a reliable and scalable sharing economy that drives bottom-up decarbonization.

1 Introduction

Residential PV self-consumption is limited by mismatches between generation and load, while existing household batteries may not cover the full mismatch. Sharing unused battery capacity could help, but requires physically tracing whose energy is stored and delivered, including at community scale.

1 Introduction

  • Limited reverse-flow capacity and insufficient household batteries leave residential PV surplus difficult to use when generation and load profiles mismatch.Residential batteries are described as usually unable to compensate for the entire mismatch.Source: §1 · p. 2
  • A community battery-sharing economy could pool and trade unused capacity rather than require each household to invest in a larger battery.The approach is expected to increase community-wide PV self-consumption and encourage participation through financial incentives.Source: §1 · p. 2
  • Physical traceability must verify electricity’s origin and destination to identify ownership and meter carbon-free generation and consumption accurately.Power flows inherently mix in shared network infrastructure, making physical tracking difficult.Source: §1 · p. 2
  • As prosumer participation grows, centralized aggregation and system-wide optimization can create communication and processing delays that undermine physical traceability.The text says any mismatch between computational decisions and actual physical flows makes electricity ownership unidentifiable.Source: §1 · pp. 2–3
  • e-Traceroute combines circuit-switched power routing with PLC in a decentralized, edge-oriented architecture to couple intended and actual power flows.Multi-port prototype experiments demonstrate concurrent routing of power and information as an inseparable entity.Source: §1 · p. 3

2 Results

The results describe a system that couples power routing and communication through a one-to-one switching architecture, with edge prosumers processing local data and a router coordinating connections. In a three-step prototype scenario, PLC signals were transmitted and received, the router changed mode in response, and the battery’s power destination switched at zero power.

2.1 Integrated architecture for traceable power routing

  • The router’s switch matrix establishes one-to-one prosumer connections, enabling concurrent distinguishable power transfers; PLC links each transfer to its information transactions.Fig. 1 compares the proposed separated power flows with conventional converter-based routing, which mixes flows on a common bus.Source: §2.1 · p. 3, Figure 1 · p. 4
  • Edge prosumers perform local optimization while the central router coordinates switching from reduced aggregated data, distributing computation and reducing communication bottlenecks.PLC carries both asynchronous edge-data aggregation and timing-critical multicast commands; using it for control avoids external-network delays that could disrupt synchronization.Source: §2.1 · pp. 4–5
  • The proposed routing-and-PLC integration is presented as a practical option for using existing residential batteries without internal equipment modifications.The text contrasts this with talkative-power approaches requiring equipment modifications and wireless power approaches with scaling and efficiency challenges.Source: §2.1 · p. 5

2.2 Experimental validation of integrated power transfers and information transactions

  • The prototype represented a subsystem with two houses and one battery, and tested three sequential exchanges: data aggregation, switching notification, and a timing-critical trigger.The scenario’s trigger signal caused the router to transition from Mode 0 to Mode 1; the figure depicts the setup and transaction timeline.Source: §2.2 · pp. 5–6, Figure 2 · p. 6
  • The PLC modules imposed the intended information sequences on the power waveforms for the three-step scenario.The payloads encoded data aggregation, switching notification, and the timing-critical trigger command.Source: §2.2 · p. 7, Figure 3 · p. 8
  • Received signals transitioned through 10, 21, and 41, and the router changed from Mode 0 to Mode 1 when its register received 41.The mode change coincided with the router’s PLC register transition, verifying execution of the received timing-critical signal.Source: §2.2 · p. 7, Figure 4 · p. 9
  • The battery’s supply switched between Houses 1 and 2 immediately after the router changed mode, with physical switching at zero instantaneous power.The authors attribute zero-crossing timing to the hardware-level coupling of power and information, which avoids uncontrollable communication delays.Source: §2.2 · p. 7

3 Discussion

The study experimentally validates hardware-level integration of power routing and information transactions, enabling coordinated control over physically traceable power flows. It distinguishes this approach from converter-based routing that mixes power from different origins and identifies higher-layer exchange protocols as future work.

3 Discussion

  • A multi-port prototype experimentally demonstrated coordinated control of power routing and information transactions through hardware-level integration.PLC conveys information over the physical power paths, coupling timing-critical signals with power flow.Source: §3 · p. 9
  • Physical integration makes transfer intent and execution inseparable, supporting active power-flow control with distributed information processing.The paper identifies decoupled data and power flows as a limitation of conventional information-based management systems.Source: §3 · p. 9
  • Converter-based routers mix power from different origins on a common bus, whereas accountable sharing requires physically isolated closed-circuit transfers.The cited converter examples are.Source: §3 · pp. 9–10
  • Distributed traceability requires synchronization of physical switching and information processing; this study supplies hardware integration and a distributed architecture.Earlier studies[15, 21] used PLC for unidirectional, simple commands, while distributed-node coupling had remained unexplored.Source: §3 · p. 11
  • Future work will develop higher-layer protocols to optimize multi-agent electricity exchanges on the physical routing foundation.The authors connect this future work to the potential of a reliable and accountable sharing economy for decarbonization.Source: §3 · p. 11

4 Methods

The methods describe a crossbar router and half-duplex PLC modules controlled through layered software. The experiment uses a specified prosumer setup and synchronizes a battery switching trigger with an AC zero crossing.

4.1 Hardware implementation of the power router

  • The crossbar router forms physically isolated routing pairs on horizontal buses, with bus count setting the maximum number of simultaneous pairs.Each bidirectional switch uses two back-to-back 650 V, 20 A SiC MOSFETs; the experiment used one routing pair between Ports 1–3.Source: §4.1 · pp. 11–12

4.2 Hardware implementation of the PLC module

  • The PLC module uses half-duplex TX and RX modes, with OOK transmission at a 125 kHz carrier and receiver filtering on the power line.An external signal selects the mode; an RF transformer provides galvanic isolation and common-mode noise rejection.Source: §4.2 · p. 12

4.3 Software implementation of the PLC module

  • The PLC controller separates signal decisions, hardware control, and their interface across top, bottom, and middle layers.A UART-like protocol implements the bottom layer, while registers and peripherals connect the middle layer to the top.Source: §4.3 · pp. 12–13
  • The controller sends 10-bit frames containing a start bit, one data byte, and a stop bit; payloads 10, 21, and 41 represent aggregation, switching notification, and trigger.The battery monitors AC phase after payload 21, then times transmission so its end coincides with a zero crossing.Source: §4.3 · pp. 13–14

4.4 Experimental setup of prosumers

  • The experiment simulated a 200 Vrms, 50 Hz grid, two 500 W house loads, and a battery source with a 1.5 A output.House consumption was defined as total load minus PV generation.Source: §4.4 · p. 14
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