Smart Grids
Cyber Security Electrifies the Intelligent Power Network of the Future
An intelligent infrastructure for electric power supported by information and communications technology (ICT) is flexible and indispensable for the management of future energy scenarios. But parallel to the rise in the installation of ICT and the consequent increase in the number of interfaces in the energy network, new security risks related to network availability, system integrity, and data protection will appear. A security concept for the intelligent power network of the future based on current standards should be planned well in advance before major investments in the new technology are made.
The share of renewable energies and decentrally generated power in the energy mix is rising steadily. The structure of the power grid is less and less capable of managing the required tasks. There is a concomitant need for intelligent systems which can steer the distribution of the load. This is the reason behind the need to push ahead with the modernization of the power grids to ensure efficient provision of energy. More than one trillion euros must be invested in the EU energy system in the coming years so that the energy and climate targets the Community has set for itself can be reached by 2020.
A part of this figure, about 200 billion euros, is earmarked for modern energy transmission networks. The Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH (dena) calculates that about 3600 kilometers of new transmission lines will have to be installed in Germany alone so that the generated power can be conveyed to consumers. The introduction of smart metering as one of the basic requirements for the smart grid will also be driven forward and has been mandated for all EU member states by the EU directive 2006/32/EC. The directive requires a market penetration for smart meters in private households of 80% by the year 2020 (100% by the year 2022).
The energy network is now in transition from the classic, hierarchical structures of the power network to the intelligent smart grid. Smart grids are intelligent power networks which employ ICT to ensure optimal transmission and distribution of electricity from the providers to the consumers. In addition to the electric power itself, important system and consumption data will be transmitted and exchanged.
)
As the share of power from small power plants such as wind farms which generate smaller, fluctuating volumes of electricity increases, the trend will be in the direction of a decentral heterogeneous energy system. Thanks to the flexible network infrastructure of smart grids, the network can respond more quickly to dynamic power fluctuations and ensure optimal power supplies. The integration of ICT enables bidirectional communication, and the related implementation of intelligent measuring systems increases transparency about power flows because operators are in a position to monitor the components of the grid in real time. The result is improved reliability and flexibility of the grid. But a smart grid is not a static concept, because there is a constant further development of the network from the integration of new technologies and components into the network.´
Next page
