Electricity customers have been able to offer their own power, from small-scale generators such as solar, back into the grid or to other consumers directly, since July 1.

The Australian Energy Market Commission says a peer-to-peer trading platform could help lower energy prices, by filling the dispatchable power gap in the market by using excess energy from solar panels.

Dubbed "deX", the Australian Renewable Energy Agency-funded exchange is promoted as a style of demand management that would enable the network to overcome increased usage.

The decentralised energy exchange creates a localised "smart grid" that provides back-up supply during peak demand, although it is still in its infancy.

The Grattan Institute energy program director Tony Wood said while it could help reduce energy prices, "the physical and commercial arrangements will need a lot of work, and there will be issues associated with safety".

"The biggest issue is that the trading would still presumably involve the use of the existing network - I can't meet you at the local cafe and give you a bag full of electricity - and how that is priced," Mr Wood said.

"As with anything to do with the [electricity] system, there are regulatory and commercial issues that need to be addressed. We should strongly be supporting well-designed and well-managed trials."

A new start-up, Power Ledger, is exploring consumer power trading and trialling automated technology with energy retail giant Origin, using blockchain technology.

Power Ledger's trading platform uses anonymised and historical customer data and the blockchain process to explore how an exchange would work across a regulated network.

The blockchain technology creates a transparent and auditable record of energy generation and consumption, allowing consumers to trade energy with their neighbours automatically.

The process works as a clearing mechanism between residential and commercial businesses to decide at what price and to whom they want to sell their excess energy.

"Peer-to-peer energy trading presents an opportunity to unlock enormous value for consumers, it disintermediates the energy supply model putting consumers in direct contact with other consumers," Power Ledger managing director David Martin said.

"Exploring technology options with Origin that could allow consumers to take more control of their energy purchasing options highlights how the needs and expectations of energy users are changing in Australia.

"The technical trial with Origin allows us to test this new and potentially disruptive technology with one of the industry's biggest players."

Origin executive general manager for future energy, Tony Lucas, said the work is part of Origin's wider commitment to investigating emerging technologies.

"While it's still early days for this technology, we are keen to explore the potential benefits that peer-to-peer energy trading could offer our customers," Mr Lucas said.

"We hope the trial will help us better understand the value proposition for consumers, as well as the regulatory and technical implications of the peer-to-peer trading model," he said.

The trial will begin in October and run for three months.