Grid-resilient inverters are exposed to cyber-physical threats

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A group of researchers from the Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology in Bangladesh has conducted an extensive review of all “next-generation” grid-resilient inverter technologies and has come to the conclusion that more work is needed to ensure their cybersecurity.

“Power inverters are becoming more interconnected with smart grids and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, making cybersecurity an increasingly critical factor,” the scientists explained. “Future inverters must include strong security capabilities to defend against cyber attacks and preserve the reliability of the electric grid. Implementing comprehensive cybersecurity safeguards may be difficult and costly, and keeping up with emerging cyber threats necessitates ongoing developments in security standards.”

Presented in the paper “Next generation power inverter for grid resilience: Technology review,” published in Heliyon, their work consisted initially of identifying the main limitations of current PV inverter technologies and then proposing a series of technical solutions to make them more efficient while reducing production costs.

The research addresses, in particular, different power system types, as well as modeling issues and factors that affect grid resilience. It also investigates requirements for grid-resilient inverter design and limitations against plant dynamics and cyberattacks.

Furthermore, it describes control challenges in the advanced features of the smart inverter for self-management and security and discusses how artificial intelligence (AI) or blockchain technologies may help overcome all the above-mentioned issues.The academics also presented a detailed description of different types of grid resilience: passive resilience; active resilience; human resource resilience; and economic resilience.

The research team explained that grid-resilient inverters provide real-time data, analyze historical data, compare patterns across various dimensions, and export graphs, by simply being accessed from computer and mobile devices. “They can alert the users via SMS or email for any detection of faults and breakdowns which increases efficiency immensely,” it explained. “The alarms can be game changers for handling certain situations for instance output below simple limits or misfiring of electronics.

These devices, according to the team, have an expanded role compared to conventional inverters while also requiring less maintenance. However, the typical internet-enabled interactions that characterize these devices offer cybercriminals the possibility to take advantage of a variety of their components.

“Even smart inverters, like any other internet-connected gadget, are susceptible to being hacked,” the academics noted. Using software that is linked to the internet, they interact with the grid in order to execute independently the tasks of voltage control. This implies that intelligent inverters when put to good use, have the ability to control the voltage of the electricity that is sent into the grid in such a manner that there are no detrimental fluctuations.”

They also highlighted that, when grid-resilient inverters are attacked, incorrect settings could be introduced in the software, which would in turn make the voltage spiral out of control, thus leading to brownouts or blackouts.

Among the possible challenges that smart inverters are expected to face in the next decades, the team lists distributed energy resources (DER) controller, energy management system (EMS), communication, IoT issues, scalability, interoperability, and compatibility, as well as regulation and policy.

Scalability and modularity are indicated as two important factors for future smart inverters, as they will have to adapt to varying power requirements, ranging from residential to utility-scale installations. “Developing a modular design that retains high efficiency and reliability at several sizes is difficult, but it is critical for widespread acceptance and flexibility in a variety of applications,” the researchers said.

Cost reduction is finally indicated as an important step in the pathway to build future products using gallium nitride or silicon carbide. “Future inverters should be made from recyclable materials, consume less energy during manufacture, and meet worldwide standards,” they concluded. “Navigating the complicated environment of international norms and standards can be difficult, but it is essential for ensuring compliance while retaining competitive performance and pricing.”

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