Cybersecurity in Smart Local Energy Systems: requirements, challenges, and standards

Siyuan Dong, Jun Cao, David Flynn and Zhong Fan

11 April 2022

Smart local energy systems (SLES) can support tailored regional solutions through the orchestration of cyber physical architectures. Unprecedented access to new information, data streams and remotely accessible control can help achieve the multiple benefits of SLES. The expansion of the internet of things (IoT) and cyber-physical systems (CPS), means it is important both to design effective detection and management of potential cybersecurity issues, and to address the challenges of effective and adaptive governance. This should be built on standards to ensure the security of the IoT to minimise risk and harm to users.

This study conducts an extensive and critical investigation into existing standards and identifies areas to focus on in order to support the expanded adoption of cyber physical networks. Although existing standards and protocols are highly fragmented, most of them are found to be sufficient to protect information security and personal privacy and meet the requirements of SLES. Our study concludes that more joint efforts are required from the regulators, the industry and the academia, and also provides four main suggestions.