Protecting the Modern Power Grid: 4 Key Areas of Focus

What you will learn in this article:

• Security strategies to protect from physical and digital threats
• Ready-now solutions for modernizing the grid
• How to take the next step in an intensifying threat landscape

Electric vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI), renewable energy and climate factors are driving new challenges for the modern grid, from energy distribution to the integration of updated and legacy power systems. All these factors are contributing to rising energy use, with experts predicting a 25% increase in power consumption in the United States by 2030 and a 78% increase by 2050.¹

Utilities and grid operators are working to keep pace. They are embracing smarter, more connected solutions that optimize resources and respond to changes in near real-time. Added connectivity also leads to a broader and more complex attack landscape, where each new device or endpoint that improves efficiency also creates a possible entry point for cyber intrusions. Severe weather, natural disasters and sabotage from malicious actors can pose threats to physical infrastructure, too.

To protect the grid from both physical and digital threats, operators should focus on these four key areas to bring their security strategies together:

1. Adopting automated fault detection and isolation (FDI) systems
2. Establishing decentralized power via microgrids
3. Adhering to security standards, including the North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP)
4. Taking a proactive approach to threat protection

Adopting Automated Fault Detection and Isolation

Automated FDI systems are changing the way outages are managed and resolved. Power instantly gets rerouted to keep most homes up and running. In this kind of situation, fewer homes would lose power instead of a more widespread outage. Once a nearby crew receives detailed diagnostics, they go to work to restore power within a couple of hours, making the recovery more focused and efficient.

Establishing Decentralized Power via Microgrids

Microgrids decentralize energy generation and help reduce dependence on the main grid, offering a more resilient way to deliver power. They can operate independently during emergencies, enabling essential services to remain powered, even if the central grid goes dark. At Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Honeywell rolled out a microgrid that connects existing backup generators across multiple buildings and puts them under a single intelligent control system to share the power load efficiently.² Honeywell has also developed and operates a microgrid serving the 3.9 million square-foot campus at the Food and Drug Administration’s White Oak Campus in Silver Spring, Maryland.³

Adhering to Security Standards

Officially adopted in 2006, the NERC CIP standards help protect the North American power grid through mandatory cybersecurity and physical security requirements. These standards enforce consistent protections, such as access controls systems and OT cybersecurity, including incident response plans and regular risk assessments, across the Bulk Electric System. They also require safeguards for high-impact physical assets, including power generation stations, substations and control centers, to deter or mitigate sabotage or malicious actors.

In the current threat landscape, simply checking the compliance box isn’t always enough. True resilience calls for steps beyond NERC CIP to address evolving risks like supply chain attacks, sophisticated malware and blended cyber-physical threats.