The effort with Oak Ridge National Laboratory is part of the DarkNet program, a program to design a network architecture that can scale quickly across grid operators, and which can accurately manage power generation and transmission equipment hundreds of miles away. A distributed-ledger approach provides significant value in combating the cybersecurity challenges facing decentralized operations. Specifically, a blockchain-based solution is preferable given its own decentralized nature, and its ability to share transactional data across multiple parties.
“The distributed ledger is essential in protecting data and message integrity in the electrical system, and ensuring that operational data remains tamperproof,” said Marissa Morales-Rodriguez, R&D staff at ORNL. “These functions are vital to a smart, autonomous and secure grid.”
Various government projects and grants demonstrate the range of Xage solutions: from enabling the digitization of the power grid to securing cyber systems that support the military’s missions, and protecting energy resources.
For instance, earlier this year, we announced our work with NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) in the Securing the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Use Case. Xage is working with NIST to develop practical, interoperable cybersecurity approaches that address the real-world needs of distributed energy resource environments.
The work with ORNL and NIST is in addition to engagements with the Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Air Force, as well as the ISA GCA, of which we are a founding member.
