Contributed by Guohui Yuan, Systems Integration Program Manager, U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office
Large systems using solar generation could provide nearly half of the nation’s electricity supply by 2050. Those all out system solar power plants. All including the power electronic devices that communicate with utility control and automation systems. For they could pose significant cybersecurity challenges to power system operation. It’s time that the solar industry becomes fully integrated in the cybersecurity planning. As well as the incident response processes of the power sector. This integration is essential for developing solar’s cybersecurity system.
To enable that integration, the U.S. Department of Energy is working to increase solar’s cybersecurity resilience of solar technologies. All through research and development (R&D). In addition and by establishing standards and best practices. However, the solar industry must also increase its cybersecurity awareness and maturity to support an effective solar’s cybersecurity system.
Cybersecurity is a top priority
Unlike enterprise information technology (IT) systems, the electric power grid is, in fact, a cyber-physical system that is governed by the laws of physics. Furthermore, generation, transmission, and distribution equipment are operation technologies (OT) that, collectively, control the power flows on the grid. Any changes in system operation, resulting from intentional manipulation through IT and communication networks—such as cyberattacks—can potentially cause OT equipment damage and/or safety and health hazards. Moreover, sophisticated attackers may possess the ability to manipulate groups of physical equipment. As a result, this can create abnormal power flow over a large area. Consequently, it might lead to regional instabilities and major disruptions. Addressing these threats is crucial for maintaining solar’s cybersecurity system.
Utility companies and bulk power system operators have made cybersecurity one of their top priorities. Today, large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems must meet the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection standards before they can operate. However, smaller PV systems and other distributed energy resources (DERs) – their numbers are in the millions today and increasing rapidly – are not currently required to follow cybersecurity standards, which poses a challenge to implementing a comprehensive solar’s cybersecurity system.
Source: Renewable Energy World
Contributed by Guohui Yuan, Systems Integration Program Manager. U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office
