OPERANT NETWORKS, INC. — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 12b

Description

Utility-scale solar is deeply integrated with the national electric grid and is considered critical infrastructure. It is well recognized that the monitoring and control networks of large solar plants provide attractive targets for cyber-attacks. Energy production data are financial records that must have business integrity; utility control signals and site alarms must be authenticated to protect equipment and personnel. We propose to significantly improve utility solar cybersecurity through a unique combination of two complementary next generation technologies: Named Data Networking and Blockchain. Under the SunShot program, we have developed a wireless solar gateway that incorporates cutting edge Named Data Networking, developed by a UCLA-led consortium for the last eight years. This novel networking protocol provides strong cybersecurity where each node has a unique digital security certificate and all transmitted data are secured by crypto signature. We propose the addition of a synergistic next generation ‘distributed consensus protocol’ (the well- known Blockchain is one example of this) which will be a public immutable transaction ledger that cannot be modified, destroyed, or repudiated. The ledger assures that energy production values are maintained exactly as when entered; financial partners can trust data without expensive third-party validation. Utility controls and equipment alerts are securely recorded and can be reviewed if concerns arise. While Blockchain has been used previously to protect solar data, our proposed solution brings unique advantages: (1) Our proposed solution enables the ledger to be implemented precisely at the point of data generation. Existing solutions require critical data to be transported from the field to a cloud-based ledger, exposing transactions in insecure legacy last mile communication links; (2) The existing network certificates will be used to substitute Proof of Authentication for the Blockchain Proof of Work. ‘Security by Anonymity’ is not appropriate for industrial and governmental uses, but the other security attributes of distributed ledgers are valuable; (3) Based on the existing network security properties, the new tamper-proof ledger goes further; detecting compromised devices through application-aware intrusion detection; and (4) Our ledger will incorporate a mesh ‘Tangle’ similar to that used in the Iota protocol, instead of the legacy linear Blockchain. Scalability is improved because all nodes participate in transaction validation, rather than depending on high power servers.