Share, control and optimize energy systems more securely

Sweden’s energy system is undergoing a rapid transformation. Electrification, renewable energy, and decentralized production are changing how electricity is generated, distributed, and used. At the same time, digitalization is increasing at every stage—from cloud-based control to connected sensors and smart homes. This development opens up more flexible, sustainable, and consumer-centric energy solutions, but it also introduces entirely new cybersecurity challenges.

To address these challenges, Mikael Asplund, associate professor at Linköping University, leads a project within Advanced Digitalization that develops methods and solutions for cybersecurity in future energy communities—that is, local and digitally connected groups of energy users who collaborate to share, control, and optimize energy.

The project is run as a consortium with five partners and around ten organizations contributing through interviews, case studies, and workshops. Collaboration with industry is key—both to understand needs and to create solutions that work in practice.

– I hope that in ten years we won’t talk about cybersecurity as something separate, but as a natural part of how we build flexible and sustainable energy systems. If we don’t build security in from the start, cybersecurity issues risk slowing down the entire energy transition, says Mikael.

Sweden is one of the world’s most electrified countries and faces a continued sharp increase in electricity demand, driven by industry, transport, and climate goals. To succeed, both more flexible use and a higher degree of local energy production are required. This means more connected systems, more digital interfaces—and therefore more potential points of attack.

– The goal is to give industry better conditions to dare to adopt new digital solutions—but also to know when it is wise to refrain. The project contributes to ensuring that the transition to a sustainable energy system can take place more securely. To dare to change, we need to know that the systems are robust, says Mikael.

Advanced digitalization and electrification

The project aligns with the Advanced Digitalization program’s ambition to strengthen Swedish industry through secure and reliable digital technology. Investments in advanced digitalization can make the energy system more efficient and sustainable—but only if security evolves at the same time.

The project focuses on three main areas where the need is greatest:

1. New methods for risk and threat analysis in connected energy systems

Traditional risk models for power systems are based on isolated OT environments. In today’s cloud- and IoT-connected energy communities, they are no longer sufficient.

The project therefore develops:

• risk processes adapted to distributed and data-driven energy systems
• tools that help stakeholders assess vulnerabilities and prioritize actions
• methods tested in workshops with energy companies and technology providers

The goal is to provide the industry with a practically usable model for understanding and managing cyber risks.

2. Prototypes for secure and robust cloud-based control

When everything from heat pumps to EV chargers is controlled via the cloud, the risk increases that attacks may have large-scale consequences.

The project has therefore developed:

• a prototype for resilient control that makes it harder for attacks to affect functionality
• simulations showing how attacks can spread in systems with thousands of devices
• technical components that suppliers can eventually integrate into their products

This strengthens the resilience of future energy services and smart grids.

3. Collaboration models for shared security responsibility

Energy communities involve many actors: households, companies, aggregators, grid operators, technology providers, and cloud service providers. No one has full control—but everyone affects security.

The project develops models for how:

• responsibility can be distributed between parties
• communication about risks can take place in time
• security can be maintained even when thousands of devices are controlled simultaneously

An illustrative example is EV charging. If a control system causes thousands of charging units to switch on or off simultaneously, it can affect the entire power grid. The collaboration model helps actors prevent and manage such scenarios.

Benefits for industry and society

– By combining technical solutions with organizational and market perspectives, we aim to contribute a holistic approach that increases confidence in implementing digital energy services and provides clearer guidelines on what is safe to implement—and what is not. It also creates better understanding of how cyberattacks can affect the stability of the energy system, as well as stronger innovation where security is integrated into new business models. At the societal level, the work contributes to enabling the continued transition to a sustainable and electrified energy system without compromising robustness or reliability, Mikael concludes.