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Cybersecurity Challenges in Low-Inertia Power-Electronics- Dominated Grids

Author:
Omar H. Abu-Rub, Alireza Zare, Zhi Jin Zhang, Maryam Saeedifard, Mohammad Shadmand, Sayak Mukherjee, Ramij Raja Hossain, and Veronica Adetola
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The low-inertia characteristics of the power-electronics-dominated grid (PEDG) introduces challenges while restoring voltage and frequency to their nominal values following system contingencies. These stability challenges create new cybersecurity vulnerabilities that are not thoroughly discussed in the literature. Cyber events such as false data injection (FDI), denial of service (DoS), man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, stealthy attacks, and advanced persistent threats target a PEDG to disrupt grid stability or gain financial and political benefits. The low-intertia of PEDG (<2 s) compared to traditional grids (~10 s) exacerbates these vulnerabilities. In response to stealthy attacks on state and algebraic variables that supervisory layers cannot detect until significant harm occurs, the low-inertia characteristics of a PEDG offer substantial stealthy attack surfaces. To counteract such threats, a PEDG must be equipped with an ultra-fast real-time anomaly detection system and trajectory prediction mechanism to achieve effective cyber resiliency.

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10839165

 

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