When we start a conversation about Transactive Energy, most thoughts go immediately to government-backed currency, such as Dollars or Euros. The second thought may be digital currencies for which there are wide exchanges that can be immediately converted to a government backed currency. I name transactions made using these currencies as bankable transactions, because the proceeds of a sale can be deposited directly into a bank. Large transactive energy markets, such as those for the bulk power market operated in North America by the ISOs and RTOs, have to use bankable transactions.

At the other end of the scale, in a transactive market operating a home microgrid, perhaps entirely off the grid...

One of the most contentious areas of the CTS is how much information market participants and market makers should have about one another. The premises pit functionality vs. scalability, echo the arguments of stateless vs stateful communications, and have ramifications for personal fulfillment and personal privacy.