Design and development of a test environment to analyze the impact of cyber attacks on the electrical distribution network

Abstract

Extensive use of information and communication technology infrastructure (ICT) in today’s electrical networks is empowering the Smart Grid growth, but at the same time lays the foundation for cyber threats to the more vulnerable premises of the system. The purpose of this work is twofold. First, to build a simulation environment that covers the impact assessment of cyber attacks on a distribution network´s power components. Second, to propose a testbed architecture which will be comprised from the aforementioned simulation tool combined with a hardware-implemented microgrid. The final cyber-to physical environment would provide a more accurate embodiment of information data flow through real communication paths. This will enable developing, integrating and conceiving cyber attacks’ impact on realistic scenarios. The testbed environment would have a strong emphasis on Distributed Renewable Energy Resources (DER). The power system simulation tool used in this work is DIgSILENT Powerfactory. IREC’s microgrid SmartLab facilities are utilized in the complete test bed formulation.