Cyberattack Mitigation in a Microgrid Environment: a Power-Hardware-in-The-Loop testing methodology

Nowadays, automation is not enough in the power grid fostering the evolution towards digital transformation. Smart grids are an example of that digitalization of the electric sector, including more and more devices connected (RTU, smart meters…) and also offering intelligent control communications. But as networks merge and become smarter, along with the benefits of better connectivity, cybersecurity risks and threats also increase. In order to mitigate those threats and make the power grid more resilient some methods as intentional islanding and energy restoration could be applied. The aim of this paper is to describe configuration and implementation of those methods in a laboratory environment, explaining in detail the preparation procedures and the definition of tests. Various scenarios will be executed in the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) microgrid laboratory (Energy SmartLab), emulating a distributed system operator (DSO) substation. In this regard, the methodology to develop a Power Hardware in the Loop (PHIL) test is described.