Cybersecurity experts lead research team on power grid protection

In light of recently increasing discussions surrounding cybersecurity concerns and the U.S. power grid, a collaborative project led by researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is seeking do develop new data analysis methods that would offer better protection against cyber threats.

Jamie Van Randwyk of LLNL and Berkeley Lab’s Sean Peisert will head up a project titled “Threat Detection and Response with Data Analytics” as part of a three-year Grid Modernization Initiative sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE). The project’s methods include extended data collection that will feed advanced analyses of power grid failures, enabling security experts to determine whether the failure was caused by a natural disaster, equipment failure, physical damage or cyber attacks.

The DOE’s $220 million Grid Modernization Initiative represents a concerted effort to address issues relating to cybersecurity and climate challenges as the nation’s energy grid works toward a smooth integration of conventional and renewable energy sources.

In order to generate results that are as realistic as possible, the research team is partnering with the Electric Power Board and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, a move that will assist in making results more useable by the power industry.