Recording of Tuesday, May 06, 2025 | The smarter E Europe | Conference Program | Language: English | Duration: 14:46 .

SMA Solar Technology AG Announces Workshop to Bolster Cybersecurity in European PV Installations.

The presentation explores the dual role of photovoltaic (PV) installations in Europe, emphasizing their contribution to energy security by reducing dependence on fossil fuels from authoritarian regimes while also highlighting their vulnerability to cyber attacks. It distinguishes between utility-scale PV systems with established cybersecurity practices and smaller distributed systems that resemble IoT devices, posing higher risks due to multiple access points via cloud services. Cyber threats have increased recently, often originating from state-sponsored actors like Russia or North Korea, potentially impacting power grids significantly through voltage alterations rather than just generation drops. Europe's advanced cybersecurity framework includes regulations such as the Cyber Resilience Act and NIS 2 directive but requires further development for comprehensive device security standards. SMA Solar Technology AG underscores the importance of securing solar inverters—key components ensuring stable energy supply—and emphasizes a three-tiered approach: grid protection, customer operation security, and internal infrastructure safeguarding. Their strategy involves minimizing attack surfaces by using lean source code dedicated solely to each product's function without unnecessary flexibility that could introduce vulnerabilities. Additionally, SMA stresses data sovereignty within the EU and organizational competence through employee training and regulatory transparency as critical elements of effective cybersecurity strategies against evolving threats facing renewable energies today. Finally, they advocate preventive measures alongside detection protocols forming robust defenses against cyber threats while promoting an upcoming workshop offering risk assessments for installers aimed at enhancing overall cybersecurity awareness.

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Speaker

Jan Osenberg
Head of System Integration
SolarPower Europe
Belgium

Eric Quiring
Director Global Public Affairs
SMA Solar Technology AG
Deutschland

Talk of session: Utility-Scale Solar Power II: Digitalization & AI Transforming the Industry

Digitalization has already revolutionized utility-scale solar, and now AI is emerging as the next game-changer, enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and optimizing performance across a solar power plant's entire lifecycle. From site selection and energy yield prediction to financial modeling during the development, design optimization and automation during construction, and predictive maintenance for O&M, AI and digital tools are transforming how solar power plants are planned, built, and operated. But with solar becoming a critical part of our energy infrastructure, concerns about cyberattacks are growing. This session will provide: Overview of digital, IOT and AI tools across all phases of a solar plant's lifecycle Insight on the opportunities and limitations of today's digital and AI solutions in the solar industry Discussion on cybersecurity risks and mitigation strategies for solar power systems.

Further Talks of this session:

Welcome & Introduction

Speaker

Adele Ara
Chief Technology Officer
Lightsource bp
United Kingdom

To Talk

Overview Digital and AI Applications in Utility-Scale Solar

Speaker

Dr. David Moser
Managing Director
Becquerel Institute
Belgium

To Talk

Challenges of AI in the Life of Developer

Speaker

Dr. Pierre-Jean Alet
Group Leader, Digital Energy Solutions
CSEM
Switzerland

To Talk

Improving Asset Managemnt Using AI

Speaker

Dr Etienne Drahi
Head of Solar R&D
TotalEnergies
France

To Talk

Panel Discussion: AI in Utility-Scale Solar: Ready for Prime Time or Still in Beta?

Speaker

To Talk