Lightweight authentication protocol in edge-based smart grid environment

Chien-Ming Chen,Sachin Kumar,Yanyu Huang,Jimmy Ming-Tai Wu,Lili Chen

doi:10.1186/s13638-021-01930-6

Abstract

A smart grid (SG) is an advanced power grid system deployed in a cloud center and smart meters (at the consumer end) that provides higher reliability, better data protection, improved power efficiency, automatic monitoring, and effective management of power consumption. However, an SG also poses certain challenges that need to be addressed. For example, data provided by a smart meter are time-sensitive and cannot handle high latency in an SG. Moreover, a smart meter depends on memory, energy, and other factors. Besides, the security between a cloud center and a smart meter is a critical issue that needs to be resolved. Edge computing, an extension of cloud computing deployed in an edge network between a cloud center and the end devices, is an efficient solution to the aforementioned issues. Therefore, in this study, we propose a secure mutual authentication protocol based on edge computing for use in an SG.

Highlights

A traditional power grid provides four primary operations: power generation, electricity transmission, electricity distribution, and electricity management
We extended the infrastructure of edge computing to an Smart Grid (SG), which is different from the case of a traditional SG
8 Conclusion In this study, we proposed using edge computing to solve the current security issues encountered in SGs

Summary

Introduction

A traditional power grid provides four primary operations: power generation, electricity transmission, electricity distribution, and electricity management. With the rapid development of IoT, the electricity demand has significantly increased; the infrastructure used by traditional grids cannot sustain such high electricity demands. SG is an advanced electricity grid that uses a two-way flow of electricity and information, which differs from a traditional electricity infrastructure, providing more efficiency, protected data submissions, and a secure channel between a smart meter (SM) and service provider (SP). SG infrastructure comprises three components: in-house deployed SMs, SPs in substations, and a control center (CC) in the cloud [2,3,4,5,6,7]

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion