ORNL-developed cybersecurity framework graduates from lab to electric grid

A grid cybersecurity and verification framework developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been licensed by GridForge Energy Solutions. The startup plans to explore ways the technology could boost real-time visibility of grid behavior for energy projects, grid management companies and utilities.

The patented technology, called Cyber Grid Guard, uses a software framework running on customized hardware as a platform to instantly detect unusual grid activity, data manipulation and illicit changes to device settings. These can all cause cascading power outages and damage grid infrastructure.

"It's very meaningful to see this protection technology on a pathway to strengthening the American electric grid and bringing value to American companies," said Raymond Borges Hink, ORNL cyber security specialist who led the research. "In the past, people didn't know if they could trust this grid operating data. This provides a new layer of validation and analysis to make the grid safer."

Blockchain protects grid device communications

Using the same tamper-resistant blockchain commonly used to protect cryptocurrency, Cyber Grid Guard protects data sharing among electronic devices in the grid. Configuration and operating data about voltage, frequency, breaker status and power quality are spread redundantly across multiple servers. They are then constantly verified against the most recent settings saved in the blockchain. Performance logs track the source of any unauthorized changes.

"ORNL's framework represents some of the most rigorous thinking on verified data exchange, attestation, and cybersecurity for grid infrastructure," said Worlasie Djameh, co-founder and CEO of GridForge. "We are excited to translate this world-class national lab research into something commercially deployable for grid operators and flexible demand providers."

The capabilities of Cyber Grid Guard were proven in a substation test bed at ORNL's Grid Research Integration and Deployment Center (GRID-C) using commercial hardware. GRID-C offers a unique combination of capabilities combining advanced modeling with real hardware to develop grid protections and innovations.

Researchers tested Cyber Grid Guard against simulated denial-of-service attacks, multi-step attacks that intercept and alter data as it moves between systems. The device was also tested in an operational environment in an ORNL substation, one of the many ways GRID-C uses the lab's utility-scale electric grid to scale up innovations.

Although the patented approach was first developed to increase trustworthiness of devices in an electrical substation, its capabilities have since expanded. Now it can automatically notify grid operators of unusual grid behavior or changes to settings. It can also check that every data packet is attached to a known network device from an inventory protected in the blockchain, then trace the exact settings changed.

Transparency and trust to unlock grid capacity

The platform offers additional transparency benefits. It can validate electrical measurements between an electrical substation and a privately-owned microgrid - a mini grid often used to reduce costs and increase reliability of power or speed start-up of large projects like AI data centers. The ORNL platform illuminates details about energy transfer between grid owners while monitoring power quality at the interconnection.

GridForge sees these data verification capabilities as a key to trust among grid operators, energy aggregators, utilities and data centers when it comes to energy usage accuracy. Providing this confidence could unlock desperately-needed grid capacity that is currently held back because of uncertainty about how energy partners respond during periods of high grid stress.

For example, Djameh said GridForge will explore how Cyber Grid Guard could provide real-time feedback to energy partners enrolled in utility "demand response" programs. These state or utility initiatives reward participants for decreasing their energy use when electricity demand is high. Measuring the response and its impact often takes days and may require data sharing across owners, Djameh said. The ORNL platform could speed up the process while ensuring trust in the data and protecting proprietary information.

"This technology directly addresses a critical trust gap that leaves over 100 gigawatts of flexible grid capacity underutilized," Djameh said. "We believe bringing it to market is one of the highest-leverage steps we can take toward a more reliable, affordable, and dynamic grid."

The technology was developed with the support of the DOE Office of Electricity and expertise of ORNL researchers including Borges Hink, Gary Hahn, Aaron Werth and Emilio Piesciorovsky.

California-based GridForge was incubated through LabStart, a nonprofit that provides entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship and direct pathways to commercialize cutting-edge technologies developed by America's national laboratories.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy's Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science. - S. Heather Duncan