How to protect our electricity grids from cyber attacks
Today, cyberattacks could switch a large number of electrical devices on or off simultaneously and thus dangerously destabilize the power grid. Researchers from the Institute of Energy Systems and Fluid Engineering (IEFE) at the ZHAW, together with Swissgrid AG, the Research Institutes of Sweden RISE and Tiko Energy Solutions AG, have analyzed the stability of the European electricity grid and described measures that can be used to make the grid more stable.

More and more electrical devices are being connected to a cloud and controlled via the internet. This has many advantages, but also harbors risks. This is because any internet connection can be affected by cyberattacks. In addition, enormous power peaks can occur if many electrical appliances are switched on at the same time. If numerous devices fail at once, this also places a heavy load on the power grid. Electricity grid operators must then take immediate measures to keep the grid in balance. To do this, they can activate additional energy sources or deactivate power plants.
As part of extensive research work, the IEFE's Electrical Energy Systems and Smart Grids research group investigated how the failure of a large number of devices affects the frequency stability of the electricity grid in Europe. With the support of Swissgrid and in collaboration with the RISE Research Institute of Sweden and Tiko Energy Solutions, the researchers carried out comprehensive simulations, measurements and tests in the laboratory. The devices from Tiko AG were used to test whether automatic grid disconnections and the rapid reconnection of connections are effective measures for relieving and stabilizing the grid.
The research results show that the electricity grid is stable in normal operation, even if some devices fail. Although the system has a certain inertia, it can compensate for fluctuations to a certain extent. Serious problems can occur in the event of major outages. The fluctuations in the mains frequency can then be so strong that the available power reserves are not sufficient to guarantee stability. With a large number of devices controlled from the cloud, the risk of such outages becoming more frequent and more serious increases. The risk of power outages and instability in the network increases.
To meet these challenges, the researchers recommend better monitoring of frequency deviations in the electricity grid. This would allow such disruptions to be detected more quickly and measures to be taken immediately. If cyber-attacks are recognized at an early stage and corrected with specific measures - such as targeted load shedding or load switching - grid stability can be guaranteed.
Project name: IMPALA – Impact of aggregated electrical assets on the power system
Participants
Project leader: Petr Korba
Project team: Miguel Ramirez Gonzales
Third-party funders: Bundesamt für Energie (BFE), Michael Moser
Project partners: Swissgrid AG, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Tiko Energy Solutions AG
Project duration: 2021 - April 2024
Publications: Final report IMPALA