Cybersecurity for Microgrid
Sarmistha De Dutta, Ramjee Prasad
Abstract
As we strive to reduce our carbon footprint and move towards a greener eco-friendly world, digital technology can be harnessed to address the challenges facing consumers and power distribution networks by managing their energy needs through the deployment of the microgrid.Microgrids integrate local energy production from renewable energy sources (e.g., solar, wind, hydro, etc.) providing locally optimized distributed energy generation and storage along with resilience against disruption in power distribution through self-islanding. However, the very attributes that make the microgrid suitable for deployment also makes it susceptible to security breaches.Some technologies that improve the security posture around the microgrid and provide a more secure management of energy data while satisfying the energy needs include Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR), Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain technology. In this paper we discuss the basic architecture behind these technologies and why they may provide the microgrid with a security solution against cyberattacks.