{"title":"Fostering Trust in Smart Inverters: A Framework for Firmware Update Management and Tracking in VPP Context","authors":"Thusitha Dayaratne;Carsten Rudolph;Tom Shirley;Sol Levi;David Shirley","doi":"10.1109/TSG.2025.3525585","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Ensuring the reliability and security of smart inverters that provide the interface between distributed energy resources (DERs) and the power grid becomes paramount with the surge in integrating DERs into the (smart) power grid. Despite the importance of having updated firmware/software versions within a reasonable time frame, existing methods for establishing trust through firmware updates lack effective historical tracking and verification. This paper introduces a novel framework to manage and track firmware update history, leveraging verifiable credentials. By tracking the update history and implementing a trust cycle based on these verifiable updates, we aim to improve grid resilience, enhance cybersecurity, and increase transparency for stakeholders.","PeriodicalId":13331,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid","volume":"16 2","pages":"1872-1884"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10829643/","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Ensuring the reliability and security of smart inverters that provide the interface between distributed energy resources (DERs) and the power grid becomes paramount with the surge in integrating DERs into the (smart) power grid. Despite the importance of having updated firmware/software versions within a reasonable time frame, existing methods for establishing trust through firmware updates lack effective historical tracking and verification. This paper introduces a novel framework to manage and track firmware update history, leveraging verifiable credentials. By tracking the update history and implementing a trust cycle based on these verifiable updates, we aim to improve grid resilience, enhance cybersecurity, and increase transparency for stakeholders.
期刊介绍:
The IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid is a multidisciplinary journal that focuses on research and development in the field of smart grid technology. It covers various aspects of the smart grid, including energy networks, prosumers (consumers who also produce energy), electric transportation, distributed energy resources, and communications. The journal also addresses the integration of microgrids and active distribution networks with transmission systems. It publishes original research on smart grid theories and principles, including technologies and systems for demand response, Advance Metering Infrastructure, cyber-physical systems, multi-energy systems, transactive energy, data analytics, and electric vehicle integration. Additionally, the journal considers surveys of existing work on the smart grid that propose new perspectives on the history and future of intelligent and active grids.