Building the Digital Grid: Trends, Best Practices, Challenges and Lessons Learned in Interoperable and Secure Power Grid Management

Recording of Wednesday, June 19, 2024 | The smarter E Europe 2024 | Conference Program | Language: English | Duration: 7:41 .

CTO of SMPnet Discusses Challenges and Best Practices for Building Digital Power Grids, Emphasizing Interoperability, Cybersecurity, and Continuous Learning

Dr. Dimitrios Tzelepis, the CTO and co-founder of SMPnet, introduces his company's grid management software aimed at utility companies in the UK, Spain, and Greece. He discusses the complexity of power grids which incorporate numerous elements like physical infrastructure, various protocols, digital substations, and more. The ideal digital grid seamlessly coordinates these components to exchange data in real-time but faces significant challenges such as data quality management, investment needs for infrastructure development (both physical and digital), interoperability issues with new software layers requiring extensive training for personnel alongside cybersecurity concerns. He emphasizes that achieving interoperability and cybersecurity is an ongoing process involving constant updates. Best practices include avoiding ad hoc methods for data exchanges in favor of industry-approved protocols like the common information model when deploying digital twins. Cybersecurity measures must be continually enhanced using technologies like two-factor authentication while keeping systems up-to-date. Vendor-agnostic solutions are vital for enhancing interoperability across devices and environments; concurrently identifying and minimizing cyber threats helps manage risks effectively through automated incident response plans. Collaboration within the technology community fosters education on best practices ensuring scalability via flexible architectures that accommodate future functionalities. Emphasizing human capital development through academies ensures both newcomers' rapid learning along with existing employees' skill enhancement in emerging tools. Frameworks such as NIST's Zero Trust Architecture offer guidelines for operational segmentation, while AWS's Well-Architected Framework includes pillars that cover operations and cybersecurity. ISO 27001 provides organizational-level provisions, emphasizing cybersecurity education. Additionally, regulations ensure market transparency, introduce incident response mechanisms, and advocate for widespread software adoption to help build a robust digital grid

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Speaker

Dr. Dimitrios Tzelepis
CTO Co-Founder
SMPnet
United Kingdom

Talk of session: Interoperable and Secure Energy Data Sharing in a Consumer-Dominated Market

The shift towards a consumer-centric market design is essential for a green and digital transition. The seamless interaction between consumers and the energy system requires robust data flows and communication among DERs, market players and the system. This session focuses on how forward-thinking businesses, system operators and policymakers work together to build a reliable, interoperable and cyber-secure energy data ecosystem. Join the debate on key requirements such as data access, consumer flexibility, interoperability, standardisation and cybersecurity for interoperable data flows as we move towards a resilient and renewable energy service economy that benefits both system operators and consumers.