Service-based, segmented, 5G network-based architecture for securing distributed energy resources

As the number of connected devices in the energy grid increases exponentially, particularly facilitated by modern communications standards such as 5G and beyond, so too does the cyberattack surface. However, 5G also includes features that can help mitigate certain cybersecurity risks. This paper proposes a new service-based network architecture implementing network-slicing capabilities for connected systems and devices to improve performance, availability, security, and reliability of grid devices and services. It considers the quality-of-service requirements and criticality of services needed for securely monitoring, operating, and securing distributed energy resource devices. From developed use cases, network slicing is implemented based on these requirements and resource allocations. This work then highlights examples of how slicing can help prevent standard existing attack methods, such as a denial-of-service or similar attack, which limit resource availability and network bandwidth to the service, and thus inhibit the attack's ability to affect other services. The designed network architecture use case was tested on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Cyber-Energy Emulation Platform (CEEP) to verify secure operation and availability of services. Using hardware-in-the-loop devices and systems on CEEP, this fully segmented, secure network may be realized and evaluated. Finally, this paper presents the results of this testing.