Blockchain can apparently help secure the power grid. The Department of Energy has made a $200,000 grant to TFA Labs, an Austin-based Internet-of-Things startup, to help secure the grid by validating that energy devices  and hardware connected to the Internet are not infected with malware.

The protocol will produce cryptographically-signed data that can be stored within devices and hardware and on a permissionless blockchain system (or, in simple words, a database). If the device is infected with malware then it will produce the incorrect cryptographic hash. In Phase II of this project, the protocol will be embedded into various vendor devices and manufacturers. 

"Securing data at the source means data is protected and devices are secured and impervious to malicious actors. Integration of this technology with the electric grid will mean a more resilient system able to handle the demands of today’s power requirements with the ability to scale for the needs of the future," the abstract notes.