Smart Inverter Communication Model and Impact of Cybersecurity Attack

Increasing penetration of inverter based distributed renewable energy resources poses many challenges for stable grid operation. Smart Inverters (SI) offers some potential support to the grid operation. SI can provide voltage or frequency support to the grid. To realize the full potential of these benefits SIs must operate in coordination with Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS). The coordinated operation of SIs and DERMS can only realized through a standardized and interoperable communication. This paper presents IEC 61850 based communication model for SIs. Furthermore, the IEC 61850 message exchanges required for SI operation, i.e. defining and enabling different operating curves, is implemented in laboratory using IEC 61850 emulation tools. Furthermore, the vulnerability of SI standardized communication to cyberattacks and its impact on distribution performance is showcased.