• Software to help plan the smart grid

    Researchers have developed a new software tool called the Energy Zones (EZ) Mapping Tool that will help the thirty-nine states which make up the Eastern Interconnection States’ Planning Council, or EISPC identify geographic areas suitable for the development of clean energy resources, which are renewables, natural gas, coal carbon sequestration, and nuclear. Certain forms of energy storage are also included.

  • Industry insiders: insufficient security controls for smart meters

    False data injection attacks exploit the configuration of power grids by introducing arbitrary errors into state variables while bypassing existing techniques for bad measurement detection; experts say current generation of smart meters are not secure enough against false data injection attacks

  • Smart grid: from deployment to applications

    Some 200 million smart meters have been deployed worldwide, forty million of them in North America; a new white paper from Pike Research says that the year 2012 represents a turning point for the sector

  • New material to improve efficiency of power grids

    Global energy demand is on the rise, as populations continue to grow and industrialization progresses; at the same time, there is a growing awareness and concern about repercussions of increasing rates of carbon dioxide emissions released in the atmosphere; a new nanocomposite material holds the promise of enabling smarter, more reliable, and greener power systems

  • Smart outlet to bring flexibility, resiliency to smart grid architecture

    Researchers developed an experimental “smart outlet” that autonomously measures, monitors, and controls electrical loads with no connection to a centralized computer or system; the goal of the smart outlet and similar innovations is to make the power grid more distributed and intelligent, capable of reconfiguring itself as conditions change

  • NIST releases smart grid framework update

    An expanded list of standards, new cybersecurity guidance and product testing proposals are among the new elements in an updated roadmap for Smart Grid interoperability released yesterday for public comment by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

  • Siemens chosen to build Fort Collins's electrical smart grid

    Siemens Energy, Inc. was recently chosen by the city of Fort Collins, Colorado to help build its electrical smart grid infrastructure

  • U.S. releases smart grid cybersecurity strategy

    Last week the U.S. Department of Energy released its strategic framework for its plan to install and secure the nation’s electrical grid system over the next decade; the report outlines a plan to coordinate efforts by the government and the private sector to begin designing and implementing an electrical grid that is capable of withstanding a cyberattack

  • U.S., Europe Collaborating on Smart Grid Standards Development

    The other day the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the European Union’s (EU) Smart Grid Coordination Group (SG-CG) jointly announced their intention to work together on Smart Grid standards development,

  • Safeguarding the Internet of tomorrow

    The recommendations of a high-level cybersecurity summit held Belfast include developing self-learning, self aware cyber security technologies, protecting smart utility grids, and enhancing the security of mobile networks. The summit concluded that these are among the top research priorities needed to safeguard the Internet of tomorrow

  • Boeing and Siemens join forces to protect smart grid

    In a bid to improve efficiency and security for the Pentagon’s electrical “smart grid,” defense giant Boeing has teamed up with German technology conglomerate Siemens to develop new technologies

  • IBM helps Sensus secure the smart grid

    In a move that could help bolster U.S. smart grids against cyberattacks, Sensus recently announced that it will incorporate IBM’s encryption and key management technologies into its smart grids; the company will use IBM’s cyber security solutions in its FlexNet communications system for electric, gas, and water utility smart grid endpoints including meters and automated distribution devices

  • Digital ants protect critical infrastructure

    As the U.S. electrical power grid becomes more interconnected through the Internet, the chances of cyber attacks increase as well; a Wake Forest University security expert developed “digital ants” to protect critical networks; unlike traditional security approaches, which are static, digital ants wander through computer networks looking for threats such as computer worms, self-replicating programs designed to steal information or facilitate unauthorized use of computers; when a digital ant detects a threat, it summons an army of ants to converge at that location, drawing the attention of human operators to investigate

  • Dramatic increase in critical infrastructure cyber attacks, sabotage

    A new study by McAfee and CSIS reveals a dramatic increase in cyber attacks on critical infrastructure such as power grids, oil, gas, and water; the study also shows that that many of the world’s critical infrastructures lacked protection of their computer networks, and revealed the staggering cost and impact of cyberattacks on these networks

  • Alstom acquires CA company, seeks to enter U.S. smart grid market

    French electrical grid manufacturer Alstom recently acquired Utility Integration Solutions, Inc. (UISOL) in its efforts to expand its smart grid control room capabilities and enter the U.S. market; UISOL specializes in demand response management systems, which are critical to the operation of smart grids; analysts believe that this could put Alstom in position to become an integrated systems provider for smart grids in the United States on par with ABB, Siemens, and General Electric