Power Quality Meter Placement in Distribution Networks for Identification of Cryptocurrency Miners using Harmonic State Estimation

In recent years, cryptocurrency mining activities have been raised due to its high profitability and secure environment, especially in countries with low energy costs. However, this trend has brought various challenges, including excessive energy consumption and volatile energy prices. These issues have led to several problems, such as increased strain on the power grid, electricity theft, harmonic distortion in the grid, degradation of power quality, and inaccurate load behaviour estimation. To tackle these challenges, this article represents an innovative approach that involves the strategic placement of power quality meters in the distribution network to identify unauthorized mining loads. Since miners utilize electronic power switching devices, they introduce harmonics into the system, making them identifiable as specific harmonic loads. Hence, it has been proposed to utilize harmonic state estimation for identification of miners. The proposed approach is implemented and tested using DigSILENT software on 18-bus IEEE test network. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed method in accurately pinpointing the locations of harmonic mining loads.