Energy Web X
Business case
Today worker nodes are implemented as independent off-chain computing nodes that communicate with a smart contract deployed on the Energy Web Chain. This approach is effective, but it is complex and labor-intensive to configure custom business logic, synchronize nodes, and apply appropriate governance such as defining eligibility requirements and service level agreements that worker nodes must adhere to. A more efficient solution is to implement worker nodes within a common environment where they can run independently but follow a unified set of rules. That is where Energy Wb X comes in.
In contrast to the Energy Web Chain, which is Ethereum based, Energy Web X is built with substrate technology https://www.parity.io/technology. Its sole purpose is to coordinate, secure and make public the results of work performed by worker node networks.
View the EWX architecture
Current Challenges
Worker nodes in the Energy Web ecosystem today function as independent off-chain computing units. They communicate with smart contracts deployed on the Energy Web Chain (EWC), which uses Ethereum-based technology. While this design has been effective in facilitating off-chain computation, it has significant challenges:
Complexity in Configuration: Setting up custom business logic for each independent worker node requires substantial effort, making the process cumbersome for enterprises.
Synchronization: Ensuring consistent operation and data synchronization between worker nodes and the smart contracts is labor-intensive.
Governance Enforcement: Defining and monitoring adherence to eligibility requirements, service-level agreements (SLAs), and reward mechanisms require careful management, adding to operational overhead.
Energy Web X as a Unified Solution
Energy Web X addresses these challenges by providing a substrate-based platform that integrates worker nodes into a unified environment. Substrate’s modular framework allows for highly customizable blockchains tailored to specific use cases, making Energy Web X a robust alternative to the Ethereum-based EWC.
Key Benefits:
Streamlined Governance: Worker nodes operating under Energy Web X follow predefined governance rules encapsulated in “pallets.” These pallets function like enhanced smart contracts, offering more flexibility and power to manage worker nodes collectively.
Enhanced Efficiency: A common environment reduces the complexity of synchronization and management, enabling easier scalability for enterprises.
Interoperability with EWC: Energy Web X is designed to complement EWC, enabling seamless interaction where worker nodes can migrate (“lift”) to Energy Web X for enhanced capabilities and revert (“lower”) to EWC as needed.
Worker Nodes in Energy Web X
Worker nodes remain essential as software packages operated by individuals or businesses. Energy Web X introduces features to make this ecosystem more appealing:
Reward Systems: To attract operators, worker nodes are incentivized through rewards in EWT (Energy Web Token). These reward mechanisms can be customized based on performance metrics, such as quality and timeliness of work.
Stake-Based Trust: To run a trusted worker node, operators are required to lock EWT, aligning their incentives with network reliability. This ensures that only committed entities contribute to critical computations.
Role of Solutions and Solution Groups
Energy Web X structures worker nodes into solutions and solution groups, providing a hierarchical approach to management:
Solutions: Represent specific business applications or use cases powered by worker nodes.
Solution Groups: Group similar solutions together and define shared governance rules, including operational criteria and reward structures.
Configurable Lifetimes and Rewards: Solution groups provide flexibility:
Their lifetimes can be predefined but extended based on evolving business needs.
Reward mechanisms can be dynamically adjusted to incentivize participation and ensure the alignment of worker nodes with enterprise objectives.
On-Chain Consensus for Off-Chain Work
The configurations within solutions and solution groups dictate how worker node outputs are validated on-chain:
Eligibility Requirements: Define who can participate.
Service-Level Agreements: Set performance benchmarks for the worker nodes.
Consensus Mechanisms: Establish thresholds for accepting the results of off-chain computations as correct.
By formalizing these parameters, Energy Web X ensures:
Accuracy: Only valid results from worker nodes are anchored on the blockchain.
Trust: Enterprises and stakeholders can rely on a secure and tamper-resistant consensus process.
This structured and dynamic system makes Energy Web X a powerful platform for managing distributed worker nodes while reducing operational complexity and enhancing enterprise scalability.
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