Cyber-Security Enabled Communication Architecture for Power Routing in the Smart Grid

Abstract

Smart grids have benefits such as high reliability and availability due to distributed energy resources (DERs) which are integrated to the power transmission and distribution grid. These DERs will maintain an uninterrupted power supply for electricity consumers in a case of isolation from the primary electricity grid due to failure of the system. The integration of DERs into the transmission and distribution grid introduces new consequence for distributed network operators (DNOs). In traditional electricity grid, power flow is happening normally from the bulk generation stations to consumers and all control operations are done at the centralized control station. In the modern electricity grid with DERs, the energy follows in both directions via substations due to randomly spread energy sources at the lower voltage side. Although distribution network was considered as a static system without major control operations or reconfiguration requirements. For a smart grid, distribution network can be considered as a dynamic system due to DERs. Power routing is an emerging concept. Its main purpose is to make the distribution network more flexible which will help to solve the technical issues related to DERs. With the introduction of DERs, DNOs have faced many challenges. Communication is one of major challenges in DNO Technology. Nowadays most of the communication architectures are based on the Internet that creates major security issues with the system. Cyber-security Enabled Communication Architecture is the most important concept for Power Routing. In this paper we introduce a cyber-security enabled communication architecture that facilitates the security for the information of an electricity grid.