Towards a collaborative framework to improve urban grid resilience

Abstract

Two trends will help to ensure resilient electricity supply in Smart Cities: a) the ongoing deployment of Smart Grid technology and b) the adoption of distributed energy resources.Unfortunately, the increased reliance on ICT in the Smart Grid will expose new threats that could result in incidents that might affect urban electricity distribution networks by causing power outages. Diverse specialists will need to cooperate to address these threats. This position paper outlines a methodology for establishing a collaborative framework that supports the definition of response strategies to threats. We consider the ongoing evolution of the electricity grids and the threats emerging while the grid evolves. After outlining possible scenarios of urban grid development, we highlight several threats and the strategies of attackers. Finally, we introduce a framework that aims to foster the collaboration of stakeholders involved in city resilience planning taking into account grid vulnerability and criticality from a city's perspective.I.

Threat Analysis in Systems-of-Systems

“…Based on the Smart Grid scenario, we show how the methodology can be applied to support threat analysis of an SoS. As reference threat and mitigation lists, we considered the work done in the context of the IRENE project [34]. Here the authors of the cyber-security analysis of smart grids [12] derived a list of 38 threats to the urban grid mainly due to cyber-security (i.e., 29 cybersecurity threats and 9 related either to environmental and accidental threats) based on the NIST 800-30 [10] guidelines.…”

“…Code, Language, and Interfaces. We chose Java as reference platform since it is not OS dependent and since other tools in the IRENE [34] toolset were developed with the same language. Nevertheless, the tool doesn't have a graphical interface since it is intended to be used in cooperation with other tools by the toolset above that offer a graphical user interface.…”

Self-determined distribution of local energy resources for ensuring power supply during outages

“…Methodologies for active engagement of communities in the introduction and management of local energy resources facilitate sustainable resource management in future power systems (Alvial-Palavicino et al 2011;Cai et al 2017;Jung et al 2016;Adu-Kankam and L. M. -Matos 2018;Katre et al 2019;Arentsen and Bellekom 2014;Hufen and Koppenjan 2015). Energy communities can potentially play an important role in facilitating energy interventions, because they enhance trust relationships, support behavioral changes and encourage other local benefits, such as lower energy bills, new local jobs, increase in the sense of ownership, but also reduction of carbon emissions (OVO Energy 2014; Šćepanović et al 2017).…”

Incorporating FAIR into Bayesian Network for Numerical Assessment of Loss Event Frequencies of Smart Grid Cyber Threats

“…As a result, there might be many threats falling into the same category. For example, even though the IRENE project [11] has refined a list of 102 threats (outlined in NIST 800−30 [12]) into a list of 38 potential smart grid cyber-threats, the analysis of these threats using FAIR can be difficult as FAIR provides little guidance on how to handle threats within the same class. Thus, finding a way to rank threats within a class, with respect to the input uncertainty, would be desirable.…”