2020 PES GM 8/5 Panel Session: Cybersecurity for Distributed Energy Resources (DERs)

With the increasing penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs), cyber vulnerabilities could lead to the risk of detaching substantial generation during peak demand that could cause power disruption and instability to the power grid. As DERs are becoming integral part of cyber-physical systems (CPS)-enabled grid environment and entering the broader realm of the Internet of Things (IoT), early susceptibility to cyber threats have been observed. Recent reports show that inverter manufacturer discovered several vulnerabilities, including remote access vulnerabilities that could compromise the PV equipment. Increasing penetration of PV devices expands the cyber-attack surface and demands stringent requirements to establish highly-secured communication and mechanisms for anomaly detection and mitigation. There is an urgent need to develop innovative defense-in-depth strategies, state-of-the-art cyber-security practices, and models for interoperable operation across Solar PV systems, DERs, aggregators, and utility grid operators for attack resilient and reliable operation of the bulk power system. This panel will focus on cybersecurity challenges, solutions, industry practices, and emerging cybersecurity standards for DER-connected distribution grid environment.