Computational awareness for smart grid: a review

Reducing the power supply-demand gap and increasing reliability of power supply are the challenges of current energy management. Implementation of smart grid, smart meters and smart metering can be a possible solution for power demand reduction, efficient power supply management, and optimization of management resource usages. Smart meters include sophisticated measurement and calculation hardware, software, calibration and communication capabilities. For interoperability within a smart grid infrastructure, smart meters are designed to perform functions, and store and communicate data according to certain standards. In this work we discuss smart meter and various elements of smart metering, current state of the technologies related to smart grid, smart meter, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), and meter data flow in smart grid. We also discuss standards related to smart meter, meter data format and data transmission, functions of smart meter, and functionalities of smart meters, currently deployed by utilities around the world.

With the rapid development of national economy, our demand for power resources has also increased rapidly. The traditional power grid can not be achieved operational status of equipment for effective monitoring and control, we will not be able to ensure the quality and quality of electricity service. Cloudbased build smart grid information platform enables gathering the parameter of grid operation state, greatly increasing the economic efficiency of power enterprises. Firstly, cloud computing and smart grid briefly described, and then pointed out that cloud computing applications in the smart grid information platform, and specialized of cloud-based smart grid information platform, in order for the power grid enterprises to enhance their level of service and provide effective reference. KEYWORD: cloud computing; smart power grids; information platform; Application 4th International Conference on Mechanical Materials and Manufacturing Engineering (MMME 2016) © 2016. The authors Published by Atlantis Press 202 3 THE MAIN PROBLEM IS STILL THE SMART GRID INFORMATION PLATFORM FACING The transition to a cloud computing data center. Our data center because of the different regions and the degree of information presents different characteristics, some data centers already have a basic cloud computing capabilities, but most data centers still remain in the initial level, to ensure the normal operation of the existing data center power under the premise, gradual transition to cloud computing data center in order to meet future requirements of the development of smart grid. Restricting data transmission problem. State Grid Corporation between provincial branches and there are a lot of data needs to be transmitted, will bring massive data transmission efficiency decreases, taking into account the load balancing device between the cloud node, thus building a wide area network channels to resolve data transmission problem. Security of data transmission. Data Center for Cloud Computing power companies to build internal private cloud, capable of self-maintenance and management, system wide area network data transmission services, according to the third security zone defined security partition, and install proprietary equipment production area and external public network isolation . 4 CLOUD COMPUTING APPLICATIONS IN THE SMART GRID INFORMATION POLICY PLATFORM Integrate and optimize the management of heterogeneous resources. Among the smart grid systems, data resources, information systems between various platforms and mutually dispersed, severe heterogeneity, thus leading to the integration of the quality of information sharing to increase difficulty, unable to effectively improve network management efficiency for the power distribution system electrical work quality management and marketing operations system maintenance upgrade will not be able to effectively meet demand (Jie Yang, 2014). Cloud computing technology enables the power system to effectively integrate the various business data and computing resources on the basis of information for business collaboration platform built on effective, able to satisfy the huge demand for smart grid information resource sharing. Cloud computing network virtualization and application virtualization technology, the server virtualization technology and other resources to achieve each service abstraction, and then realize the difference between the system and the software effectively eliminated by the appropriate method to achieve the effective integration of information resources, and then to optimize the management, greatly improving the efficiency of heterogeneous resources management applications. Distributed storage and management of large volume of data. After application of smart grid information platform construction, customer service requests varied, huge data volume information brought it to the storage and management of data provides a great challenge. Cloud computing technology in general face amount of data each smart grid system and unit collected using forms distributed storage of data to achieve the effective storage, greatly to ensure the security and reliability of data storage. GFS effective use of technology with each node, the master server is responsible for the effective management of the whole file system, the file system and complete the work of the metadata stored in the data block is the main server for data storage block sliced, and by saving three or more redundant backup storage. At the same time, client access and complete access to the main block server information. Fast Power System Parallel Computation and Treatment. Smart grids and information platform for the large volume of data to provide stable operation of the power grid data base, but more critical is the analysis and design of each system operating data, planning and decision-making, and even failures and transient stability, state estimation and intelligent a variety of computing and content analysis and decision-making process, its huge computing needs, general computing system can not reach its goal (Wang, Mengxue, 2015). Cloud computing technology through parallel computing technology has greatly enhanced parallel processing capability of the power system, which provides parallel programming model makes more simple and efficient parallel algorithms. MapReduce as Google made an important parallel programming model, and its role in large data sets in parallel computing plays a very prominent. Parallel processing job results by the client to achieve effective user submitted, via decomposition automated master role, the corresponding task scheduling to working nodes and nodes work completed by the specific calculations and perform the appropriate task. 5 SMART GRID INFORMATION PLATFORM CLOUD COMPUTING ANALYSIS Cloud Computing Smart Grid Information Platform Architecture. Smart grid technology information platform architecture cloud computing include the following several levels and aspects (Yan Cui, 2015): First, that the platform infrastructure layer is the integration of the various hardware resources and related management capabilities of virtualized using virtual technology to achieve the corresponding hardware devices such as computers and network storage devices abstraction, and then complete the automation and optimization of resource data and load management; secondly, the main platform for the integration of the various layers of software

Smart grid is an evolving new power system framework with ICT driven power equipment massively layered structure. The new generation sensors, smart meters and electronic devices are integral components of smart grid. However, the upcoming deployment of smart devices at different layers followed by their integration with communication networks may introduce cyber threats. The interdependencies of various subsystems functioning in the smart grid, if affected by cyber-attack, may be vulnerable and greatly reduce efficiency and reliability due to any one of the device not responding in real time frame. The cyber security vulnerabilities become even more evident due to the existing superannuated cyber infrastructure. This paper presents a critical review on expected cyber security threats in complex environment and addresses the grave concern of a secure cyber infrastructure and related developments. An extensive review on the cyber security objectives and requirements along with the risk evaluation process has been undertaken. The paper analyses confidentiality and privacy issues of entire components of smart power system. A critical evaluation on upcoming challenges with innovative research concerns is highlighted to achieve a roadmap of an immune smart grid infrastructure. This will further facilitate R&D and associated developments.

According to the United Nations’ (UN) estimation, the global population living in urban areas at present is 55%, which, at this pace, will reach 68% in 2050. The urban population is critically dependent on electricity because electricity is primarily an essential ingredient of the manufacturing systems and a necessity for an average urban household. The population will be severely affected by any sort of electricity brownout or blackout. The dependence of human life on electricity in today’s world has evolved electrical infrastructures to new technology infrastructures called smart grid. Smart grid infrastructure has become inevitable in prediction, generation, distribution, and billing of electricity. The integration of smart network systems in electricity generation, distribution, and measuring systems has become a priority for all the developed and developing countries. The use of smart energy meters, a vital part in the smart grid systems, is replacing the conventional metering systems. As per the IEI latest report in 2020, 98 million smart meters have been installed in the USA until 2019, which is 70% of the total US households. In other countries such as the UK, the smart metering infrastructure is a part of a governmental initiative. The use of smart technology in electrical infrastructures has brought multiple cost benefits to both the service providers and consumers, besides making it more secure, efficient, and safe. Its use is gaining popularity in combating environmental issues that the world is facing today. Security is one of the major challenges in the present-day smart grid systems because of the long-range communication on open networks. Cybercriminals, hackers, and terrorists are trying to attack this national infrastructure. This chapter offers a comprehensive survey of understanding of smart grid securities, the attacks, mainly cyberattacks, and the solutions being offered by various researchers, methodologies used, and the communication protocols used. This chapter also focuses on the cyberattacks, energy thefts on smart meters, and solutions recommended on the smart meters. This chapter finally discusses the various challenges in cybersecurity and the current proposed solutions with future research gap.

One of the basic requirements of today's sophisticated world is the availability of electrical energy, and neglect of this matter may have irreparable damages such as an extensive blackout. The problems which were introduced about the traditional power grid, and also, the growing advances in smart technologies make the traditional power grid go towards smart power grid. Although widespread utilisation of telecommunication networks in smart power grid enhances the efficiency of the system, it will create a critical platform for cyber attacks and penetration into the system. Automatic generation control (AGC) is a fundamental control system in the power grid, and it is responsible for controlling the frequency of the grid. An attack on the data transmitted through the telecommunications link from the sensors to the AGC will cause frequency deviation, resulting in disconnection of the load, generators and ultimately global blackout. In this study, by using a Kalman filter and a proposed detector, a solution has been presented to detect the attack before it can affect the system. Contrary to existing methods, this method is able to detect attacks that are stealthy from the area control error signal and χ 2 ‐detector. Simulations confirm the effectiveness of this method.

Smart Grid (SG) infrastructure is an energy network connected with computer networks for communication over the internet and intranets. The revolution of SGs has also introduced new avenues of security threats. Although Digital Certificates provide countermeasures, however, one of the issues that exist, is how to efficiently distribute certificate revocation information among Edge devices. The conventional mechanisms, including certificate revocation list (CRL) and online certificate status protocol (OCSP), are subjected to some limitations in energy efficient environments like SG infrastructure. To address the aforementioned challenges, this paper proposes a scheme incorporating the advantages and strengths of the fog computing. The fog node can be used for this purpose with much better resources closer to the edge. Keeping the resources closer to the edge strengthen the security aspect of smart grid networks. Similarly, a fog node can act as an intermediate Certification Authority (CA) (i.e., Fog Node as an Intermediate Certification Authority (FONICA)). Further, the proposed scheme has reduced storage, communication, processing overhead, and latency for certificate verification at edge devices. Furthermore, the proposed scheme reduces the attack surface, even if the attacker becomes a part of the network.

Smart meters are key components of the smart grid infrastructure, connecting households to utility providers. With Internet connectivity to such devices, the smart grid Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is exposed to attacks by the adversary class. Any compromise of a smart meter may jeopardize the security of not just the household in question, but also the entire neighborhood network and possibly the utility provider's core network. One attack category that may pose a serious threat to the AMI is a meter compromise attack, wherein a smart meter is controlled by the adversary, with the intent of committing energy fraud. In this paper, we present a detection model based on a cumulative analysis of smart meter readings of clustered smart meters. The clustering of smart meters is done based on the physical deployment points of individual smart meters within a neighbourhood area network. Results obtained through simulation of the proposed scheme are promising.

Smart Metering Privacy-preserving Techniques in a Nutshell

This chapter extends the discussion of dynamic secrets from the secure communication between Alice and Bob to the cryptographic key management in a large scale networked environment. The deployment cost, the management complexity, and the scalability issues are addressed. Specifically, this chapter chooses the smart grid as the application scenario to explore the practicality of the key management scheme based on dynamic secrets. Smart grid is an emerging infrastructure and the directions have been changing constantly. In this chapter we make a primitive proposal for certain aspects of smart grid security assuming wide use of wireless communication devices. The smart grid is a vital integration of the traditional power grid and a communication network that enables real time information sharing and control across the grid. The communication capability among grid devices enables higher power utilization efficiency for the smart grid than the traditional power grids. However, it is challenging to architect a secure communication infrastructure to protect the smart grid from cyber-physical security threats. One major challenge is to design an efficient, scalable cryptographic key management scheme (KMS) for smart grid communication networks. A smart grid can contain millions of nodes in its communication network. These nodes can be remotely scattered, even in areas where the accessibility is severely limited, e.g. in a high latitude region where snow blocks the access road to some smart grid nodes in winter months. Such a network environment is unlike that found in typical computer network. A KMS designed for a traditional computer network will encounter performance hurdles or even be infeasible when directly applied to a smart grid communication network. This chapter presents a dynamic key management scheme (DKMS) as a lightweight, scalable key management solution for the smart grid communication network.

The smart grid is an advanced evolution of the traditional electrical power grid, developed to meet the increasing energy demands and requirements of the 21st century by incorporating digital technologies and data management systems to improve efficiency and reliability. Unlike conventional grids, the smart grid relies on a network of interconnected digital devices, sensors, and computerized controls that enable real-time monitoring and management of electricity distribution across vast geographic areas. However, the growing dependence on digital technologies also brings heightened cyber security concerns, since their integration can expose the grid to an increased risk of malicious intrusions. This systematic literature review investigates the nature and scope of cyber-attacks and cyber defense strategies in smart grids, which are critical to modern energy infrastructure. Following established research guidelines, this review rigorously examines existing studies by focusing on peer-reviewed articles and conference papers to understand the range of cyber security threats and defense mechanisms that smart grids face. The review uses a structured methodology to identify, evaluate, and synthesize key findings, revealing trends and gaps in current knowledge about smart grid security. The outcomes of this analysis offer valuable clarity on the specific weaknesses and operational challenges that affect smart grid infrastructures, contributing to the ongoing efforts to enhance cyber security measures and guide future research in this vital field.

An efficient dependable smart power grid relies on the secure real-time data collection and transmission service provided by a monitoring system. In such a system, the measuring units, such as phasor measurement units (PMUs) and smart meters (SMs), are critical. These measuring equipments function as sensors in the smart grid. Data exchanges between these sensors and the central controller are protected by various security protocols. These protocols usually contain computationally intensive cryptographic algorithms that cause heavy energy overhead to the sensor nodes. Since PMUs and SMs are mostly energy-constrained, the problem of how to ensure the secure communication with minimum energy cost becomes a critical issue for the functionality of the whole smart grid. In this article, we focus on the low power secure communication of the PMUs and SMs. We take two wireless sensor platforms as examples to experimentally investigate the approaches and principles of reconciling the two conflicting system requirements-communication security and low energy consumptions. The proposed methods are general ones and applicable to other energy-constrained yet security sensitive systems.

The global energy landscape has always been dominated by fossil fuels, but with the intensification of climate change and environmental issues, people realize that the traditional energy system must be transformed. In order to integrate renewable energy and improve the sustainability and resilience of the energy system, smart grids have emerged. Smart grid is a modern grid system based on advanced communication, control and information technology, which can integrate renewable energy more effectively. As one of the renewable energy sources, solar energy plays an important role in the smart grid. It has the advantages of wide distribution, environmental protection, and renewable, and with technological progress and cost reduction, solar power generation is widely used in smart grids. Similarly, wind energy, another important renewable energy source, also plays an important role in the smart grid. The continuous development of wind turbine technology has made wind power generation more efficient and reliable, and the integration with smart grid infrastructure has further improved the efficiency of wind energy utilization. In addition, hydrogen energy has great potential as a clean energy carrier, but the storage and distribution of hydrogen energy in smart grid systems still face challenges.

In the future Smart City, new information and communication technologies will enable a better management of the available resources. The Smart Grid infrastructure is emerging as a complex system where fine-grained monitoring and control of energy generating and/or consuming entities within the electricity network is possible. This will result to better approaches that will boost energy efficiency. To make real this vision, (open) platforms providing access to the smart meter data as well as potential management and value-added functionalities are needed. These will offer basic energy services that can be commonly used by application developers. In this context, this paper proposes a new market platform in order to coordinate the energy exchanges among several micro Smart Grids aggregated in a Virtual Energy District. Some numerical results in Matlab/Simulink environment are presented to validate the proposed platform.

© 2014 IEEE. Smart home, which controls the end use of the power grid, has become a critical component in the smart grid infrastructure. In a smart home system, the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) is used to connect smart meters with the power system and the communication system of a smart grid. The electricity pricing information is transmitted from the utility to the local community, and then broadcast through wired or wireless networks to each smart meter within AMI. In this work, the vulnerability of the above process is assessed. Two closely related pricing cyberattacks which manipulate the guideline electricity prices received at smart meters are considered and they aim at reducing the expense of the cyberattacker and increasing the peak energy usage in the local community. A countermeasure technique which uses support vector regression and impact difference for detecting anomaly pricing is then proposed. These pricing cyberattacks explore the interdependance between the transmitted electricity pricing in the communication system and the energy load in the power system, which are the first such cyber-Attacks in the smart home context. Our simulation results demonstrate that the pricing cyberattack can reduce the attacker's bill by 34.3% at the cost of the increase of others' bill by 7.9% on average. In addition, the pricing cyberattack can unbalance the energy load of the local power system as it increases the peak to average ratio by 35.7%. Furthermore, our simulation results show that the proposed countermeasure technique can effectively detect the electricity pricing manipulation.

Recent development of smart cities includes advanced and necessary use of modern smart grid (SG), than the traditional power grid. The paradigm of SG has also transformed houses into a home area networks (HAN). In HAN, several smart devices and appliances are connected to the electricity control centers (ECC). Appliances share their load and consumption related information to ECC through smart meters. The consumption data may be used for supply-demand management, for example, by ramping production up or down as needed. However, security and privacy of the consumers data are greatly important, since fine-grained smart meter data may reveal an users presence/absence in his/her house. To address this issue, several public-key-based or identity-based data aggregation schemes have been proposed in the literature. However, most of such schemes either suffer from the complexity of certificate management or key escrow problem. To eliminate these issues, in this paper we propose an efficient certificate-based data aggregation (CB-DA) scheme. In the proposed CB-DA scheme, the owner selects a secret key and then use the secret key along with certificates as decryption/signing keys.