October 2010

Security (cont.)

As a result, a burgeoning area of activity in the Federal and the private space is Cyber-Security, designing systems to thwart intentional attacks. Much of the Information Technology development that has made the internet a free-wheeling space will soon be applied in great measure to the power grid. It is conceivable that the grid itself will be part of a multi-layered power/communications hybrid infrastructure. According to some, a reporting mechanism that is part of the layer will allow utilities to discern individual habits to some degree by tracking electrical usage. (To some it is an invasion of privacy…much like the “membership cards” at your local grocers—a hazard of modern life, one supposes). Some crowing takes it as far as to claim that the SmartGrid is a “Trojan Horse” that will rustle in the dark forces of a technocracy that will control our individual liberties, but we’ll leave that to the foamy blogosphere.

On the national front is the potential for HEMP or EMP threats causing damage to all or parts of the electricity network. A nuclear burst creates an extremely energetic pulse of electromagnetic energy. According to some scenarios, one well-placed atmospheric burst will bathe large areas of the US electrical grid in a high-energy EM glow. The conductors of the grid act as large pickup antennas, coupling the energy into distribution and control circuitry. The electronic devices on the network are supremely vulnerable to these pulses of energy if not designed to withstand the high voltage and currents that are induced during an EMP event. According to some predictions, a single event can bring major portions of the electricity network down for days, weeks or even months.

Efforts are underway to determine the Certification procedures and accreditations to prove “SmartGrid” devices meet the standard for interoperability AND security. The standards and testing bodies are keen on understanding how these devices will be tested and verified to operate harmoniously with the system and with the high-density electronic environment where we pass our time.

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