Publications

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Cybersecurity for internet - connected Distributed Energy Resources (DER) is essential for the safe and reliable operation of the US power system. Many facets of DER cybersecurity are currently being investigated within different standards development organizations, research communities, and industry committees to address this critical need. This report covers DER access control guidance compiled by the Access Controls Subgroup of the SunSpec/Sandia DER Cybersecurity Workgroup. The goal of the group was to create a consensus - based technical framework to minimize the risk of unauthorized access to DER systems. The subgroup set out to define a strict control environment where users are authorized to access DER monitoring and control features through three steps: (a) user is identified using a proof-of-identity, (b) the user is authenticated by a managed database, (c) and the user is authorized for a specific level of access. DER access control also provides accountability and nonrepudiation within the power system control environment that can be used for forensic analysis and attribution in the event of a cyber-attack. This paper covers foundational requirements for a DER access control environment as well as offering a collection of possible policy, model, and mechanism implementation approaches for IEEE 1547-mandated communication protocols.

The sophistication and regularity of power system cybersecurity attacks has been growing in the last decade, leading researchers to investigate new innovative, cyber-resilient tools to help grid operators defend their networks and power systems. One promising approach is to apply recent advances in deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to aid grid operators in making real-time changes to the power system equipment to counteract malicious actions. While multiple transmission studies have been conducted in the past, in this work we investigate the possibility of defending distribution power systems using a DRL agent who has control of a collection of utility-owned distributed energy resources (DER). A game board using a modified version of the IEEE 13-bus model was simulated using OpenDSS to train the DRL agent and compare its performance to a random agent, a greedy agent, and human players. Both the DRL agent and the greedy approach performed well, suggesting a greedy approach can be appropriate for computationally tractable system configurations and a DRL agent is a viable path forward for systems of increased complexity. This work paves the way to create multi-player distribution system control games which could be designed to defend the power grid under a sophisticated cyber-attack.

The American distributed energy resource (DER) interconnection standard, IEEE Std. 1547, was updated in 2018 to include standardized interoperability functionality. As state regulators begin ratifying these requirements, all DER - such as photovoltaic (PV) inverters, energy storage systems (ESSs), and synchronous generators - in those jurisdictions must include a standardized SunSpec Modbus, IEEE 2030.5, or IEEE 1815 (DNP3) communication interface. Utilities and authorized third parties will interact with these DER interfaces to read nameplate information, power measurements, and alarms as well as configure the DER settings and grid-support functionality. In 2020, the certification standard IEEE 1547.1 was revised with test procedures for evaluating the IEEE 1547-2018 interoperability requirements. In this work, we present an open-source framework to evaluate DER interoperability. To demonstrate this capability, we used four test devices: a SunSpec DER Simulator with a SunSpec Modbus interface, an EPRI-developed DER simulator with an IEEE 1815 interface, a Kitu Systems DER simulator with an IEEE 2030.5 interface, and an EPRI IEEE 2030.5-to-Modbus converter. By making this test platform openly available, DER vendors can validate their implementations, utilities can spot check communications to DER equipment, certification laboratories can conduct type testing, and research institutions can more easily research DER interoperability and cybersecurity. We indicate several limitations and ambiguities in the communication protocols, information models, and the IEEE 1547.1-2020 test protocol which were exposed in these evaluations in anticipation that the standards-development organizations will address these issues in the future.

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As the US electrifies the transportation sector, cyber attacks targeting vehicle charging could bring consequences to electrical system infrastructure. This is a growing area of concern as charging stations increase power delivery and must communicate to a range of entities to authorize charging, sequence the charging process, and manage load (grid operators, vehicles, OEM vendors, charging network operators, etc.). The research challenges are numerous and are complicated because there are many end users, stakeholders, and software and equipment vendors interests involved. Poorly implemented electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), electric vehicle (EV), or grid communication system cybersecurity could be a significant risk to EV adoption because the political, social, and financial impact of cyberattacks - or public perception of such - ripples across the industry and has lasting and devastating effects. Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive EVSE cybersecurity approach and limited best practices have been adopted by the EV/EVSE industry. There is an incomplete industry understanding of the attack surface, interconnected assets, and unsecured interfaces. Thus, comprehensive cybersecurity recommendations founded on sound research are necessary to secure EV charging infrastructure. This project is providing the power, security, and automotive industry with a strong technical basis for securing this infrastructure by developing threat models, determining technology gaps, and identifying or developing effective countermeasures. Specifically, the team is creating a cybersecurity threat model and performing a technical risk assessment of EVSE assets, so that automotive, charging, and utility stakeholders can better protect customers, vehicles, and power systems in the face of new cyber threats.

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Increasing penetrations of interoperable distributed energy resources (DER) in the electric power system are expanding the power system attack surface. Maloperation or malicious control of DER equipment can now cause substantial disturbances to grid operations. Fortunately, many options exist to defend and limit adversary impact on these newly-created DER communication networks, which typically traverse the public internet. However, implementing these security features will increase communication latency, thereby adversely impacting real-time DER grid support service effectiveness. In this work, a collection of software tools called SCEPTRE was used to create a co-simulation environment where SunSpec-compliant photovoltaic inverters were deployed as virtual machines and interconnected to simulated communication network equipment. Network segmentation, encryption, and moving target defence security features were deployed on the control network to evaluate their influence on cybersecurity metrics and power system performance. The results indicated that adding these security features did not impact DER-based grid control systems but improved the cybersecurity posture of the network when implemented appropriately.

Grid operators are now considering using distributed energy resources (DERs) to provide distribution voltage regulation rather than installing costly voltage regulation hardware. DER devices include multiple adjustable reactive power control functions, so grid operators have the difficult decision of selecting the best operating mode and settings for the DER. In this work, we develop a novel state estimation-based particle swarm optimization (PSO) for distribution voltage regulation using DER-reactive power setpoints and establish a methodology to validate and compare it against alternative DER control technologies (volt-VAR (VV), extremum seeking control (ESC)) in increasingly higher fidelity environments. Distribution system real-time simulations with virtualized and power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL)-interfaced DER equipment were run to evaluate the implementations and select the best voltage regulation technique. Each method improved the distribution system voltage profile; VV did not reach the global optimum but the PSO and ESC methods optimized the reactive power contributions of multiple DER devices to approach the optimal solution.

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Under its Grid Modernization Initiative, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in collaboration with energy industry stakeholders developed a multi-year research plan to support modernizing the electric grid. One of the foundational projects for accelerating modernization efforts is information and communications technology interoperability. A key element of this project has been the development of a methodology for engaging ecosystems related to grid integration to create roadmaps that advance the ease of integration of related smart technology. This document is the product of activities undertaken in 2017 through 2019. It provides a Cybersecurity Plan describing the technology to be adopted in the project with details as per the GMLC Call document.

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Increasing solar energy penetrations may create challenges for distribution system operations because production variability can lead to large voltage deviations or protection system miscoordination. Instituting advanced management systems on distribution systems is one promising method for combating these challenges by intelligently controlling distribution assets to regulate voltage and ensure protection safety margins. While it is generally not the case today, greater deployment of power system sensors and interoperable distributed energy resources (DER)e.g., photovoltaic (PV) inverters, energy storage systems (ESS), electric vehicles (EVs)will enable situational awareness, control, and optimization of distribution systems. In this work, a control system was created which measures power system parameters to estimate the status of a feeder, forecasts the distribution state over a short-term horizon, and issues optimal set point commands to distribution-connected equipment to regulate voltage and protect the system. This two-year project integrated multiple research innovations into a management system designed to safely allow PV penetrations of 50% or greater. The integrated software was demonstrated through extensive real-time (RT) and power hardware-in-the-loop studies and a field demonstration on a live power system with a 684 kVA PV system.

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