Renewable energy is gaining momentum by integrating renewable energy into power systems, due to technological breakthroughs and the promotion of sustainable, cost-effective energy. With the advent of smart electronic devices (IEDs), such as meters and protective relays, electrical utilities are browsing a new era of distributed energy (DERS) and enhanced grid communications.
This transformation – advances in the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, blockchain and big data have led to the modernization of the power grid and the creation of smart cities. Although the initial utility of blockchain in the energy sector is trading, its potential to ensure and simplify grid operations is emerging. This development demonstrates a dynamic milestone in grid management, in which case data integrity and confidentiality play a key role in protecting cyber threats and ensuring seamless communication. Furthermore, this advancement opens the door to real-time point-to-point energy transactions, rejuvenating the energy market through innovative solutions from blockchain.
Dr. Piesciorovsky and his colleagues use real-time simulators to mimic electric grids and combine DERS and IED to test the efficacy of a blockchain-based network grid protector (CGG) system. These tests are designed to simulate a range of scenarios from electrical fault detection to DER integration, using simulated and real devices to verify the applicability of blockchain technology in real-world settings. “The multifunctional electric grid test bed with DLT is critical for electrical fault detection, power quality monitoring, DER use cases and network event scenarios within designated test areas,” explains Dr. Piesciorovsky.
The architecture of the CGG system is detailed through event and algorithm flowcharts, which illustrates the system’s ability to effectively monitor and manage electrical faults and power quality. “Implementing event flowcharts on the test bed and defining algorithm flowcharts for each power system application proves the robustness of the CGG system,” said Dr. Piesciorovsky. The distributed ledger technology at the core of the system through multiple connections in the network Leasing ledgers are distributed on the device to ensure the accuracy and security of the data. Dr. Piesciorovsky stressed the critical nature of the technology: “The integrity and confidentiality of data from IEDs such as Power Meters and protective relays is crucial. By increasing the security of data sharing, blockchain technology can significantly improve the microgrid. The elasticity.”
The results of this study highlight the successful application of blockchain technology in protection and monitoring within the power grid, establishing a new benchmark for integrating DLTs in grid management. Regarding the potential of blockchain to transformative power system management and security, Dr. Piesciorovsky notes: “These results validate the ability of CGG systems to effectively evaluate protection control and monitoring applications using DLT.” This pioneering study maps a The new course, used to apply blockchain technology to grid management, emphasizes its ability to improve security, operational efficiency and renewable energy integration. As the grid continues to disperse, this technological advancement is crucial to ensuring the reliability and sustainability of future energy infrastructure.
Journal Reference
Emilio C. Piesciorovsky, Gary Hahn, Raymond Borges Hink, Aaron Werth, Annabelle Lee, Electrical Substation Grid Test Bed, DLT Applications for Electrical Fault Detection, Power Quality Monitoring, DERS Use Cases and Network Events, Energy Reports, 20233.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2023.07.055.
The manuscript was written by UT-Battelle, LLC and under a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) DE-AC05-00OR22725. The U.S. Government retains and publishers, by accepting the publication of this article, acknowledges that the U.S. Government retains non-regular, paid, irrevocable, global licenses to publish or reproduce the published form of the manuscript, or to allow others to do so Do, or allow others to do so, for the purposes of the U.S. government. DOE will provide public access to these results of the federally sponsored study under the DOE Public Access Plan (https://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan).
Note to the author
About the Author
Raymond Borges Hink He is a network security research scientist at ORNL and is a few efforts in the field of network security of network physical systems. He develops distributed systems analysis and detects detection algorithms for detecting abnormalities of power grids. As co-principal investigator, he developed proposals that received more than $6 million in funding. Through these programs, Raymond works with scientists, engineers and technicians at Duke University; the Electricity Commission in Chattanooga, Tennessee; the U.S. Department of Energy’s Electricity Office; and the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Bureau. He has written several publications in these areas and has multiple IT and security certifications from Microsoft and Comptia.
borgesrc@ornl.gov
Aaron W. Worth He is an ORNL researcher focusing on the cybersecurity of critical infrastructures, including power grids. He received his PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he developed a test bed involving supervised control and data acquisition systems as well as experimental intrusion prevention systems. He received service as a network scholarship and completed internships with the Tennessee Valley Administration and Sandia National Laboratory. He received his Masters in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and the University of Alabama’s School of Electrical Engineering, focusing on cyber-physical systems.
werethaw@ornl.gov
Gary Hahn He is a research software engineer in the ORNL Grid Communications and Security Group. His background and research interests include data engineering, industrial Internet, supervised control and data acquisition, and embedded software. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. He is part of a team that won the 100 R&D award in 2019.
hahng@ornl.gov
Annabelle Lee He is the founder and chief cybersecurity expert of Nevermore Security. Annabelle’s technical experience includes over 40 years of IT system design and implementation and over 25 years of cybersecurity design, specification development and testing. For the past 15 years, she has focused on cybersecurity in the energy sector. Throughout her career, she has written or written many documents on cybersecurity, cryptography, and testing. She has a career in a private enterprise, focusing on IT system specifications, software testing and quality assurance.
able@nevermoresecurity.com
