A Methodological Framework for Blockchain-Enabled Peer-to-Peer Solar Trading to Mitigate Urban Heat Islands: A Lagos, Togo Case Study (2021–2026)

This methodology article presents a novel framework for implementing blockchain-enabled peer-to-peer (P2P) solar photovoltaic (PV) trading as a dual-purpose strategy for climate adaptation in African cities, specifically targeting urban heat island (UHI) mitigation. It addresses the lack of integrated methodologies that link decentralised renewable energy markets with measurable urban cooling co-benefits in data-scarce contexts. Focusing on Lagos, Nigeria, from 2021–2026, the proposed mixed-methods approach combines a technical layer—a permissioned blockchain platform for secure P2P transactions—with a rigorous empirical monitoring protocol. This involves deploying a calibrated network of low-cost sensors across participating households to collect longitudinal, high-resolution data on surface temperatures, energy generation, and trade volumes. The framework's validation phase (2024–2025) is designed to test its capacity to incentivise rooftop PV proliferation, thereby reducing anthropogenic heat from centralised grids and altering local albedo. A core methodological contention is that the systematic integration of transactional and biophysical data is essential for robustly quantifying the UHI mitigation directly attributable to the P2P mechanism. The significance lies in providing urban planners and energy policymakers with a replicable, evidence-based tool to concurrently advance energy security and climate resilience. This work underscores the potential of locally contextualised technological solutions to address interconnected socio-environmental challenges.