5G and microgrids can be a great combination | News

NREL explores 5G configuration and security for microgrids using the 5G sandbox

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Whether by accident or careful planning, the infrastructure of both power and telecommunications systems is moving in a similar direction: towards the edge. Rooftop solar panels are like neighboring 5G towers – in both cases, distributed resources increasingly underpin these important systems.

To explore the latest generation of wireless communications and its capabilities for power systems, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) built a 5G research platform on a replicated military microgrid and subjected it to resiliency and cyberattack scenarios, publishing its results in a report titled “ 5G Securely Powered and Resilient. ” They found that 5G features can support distributed control and configurable security and resiliency of power systems.

The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering under the FutureG program, which aims to prepare the nation for next-generation telecommunications platforms, particularly in the security, automation, and resiliency aspects. But the results go far beyond defense: NREL has demonstrated how utilities can use 5G to benefit network security, data recovery and costs. Now, with a realistic communications testbed at NREL, partners can ensure media will perform when needed most in competitive environments.

No wires, no problem

The slight delay is annoying during transmission, but can be debilitating during critical power operations. The target speed for autonomous power restoration is eight milliseconds, which is extremely fast. The best alternative is wired fiber optics, but with so much development in distributed energy devices, laying fibers in a microgrid quickly becomes too expensive. Instead, the project team explored how the ultra-low latency of 5G technology could fill this gap.

“From a network integration standpoint, multiple devices will require low latency and high reliability to successfully coordinate,” said Tony Markel, senior researcher at NREL and project manager. “The fundamental difference between 4G and 5G is how data is transmitted; data resources may be closer to the edge. What if we leverage the power of edge computing and reduced latency to make grid components a more efficient system?”

NREL researchers achieved some of the efficiency of 5G by designing the microgrid to provide power to both communication devices and critical loads. This included a layer of resiliency that was added through the use of edge controllers to keep microgrid components operating even if some communications were unavailable.

Since resiliency and energy management are critical to NREL and DOD missions, this work concluded that the combination of 5G, distributed control, and a renewable microgrid is a powerful combination.

Network resilience, priority traffic and private partitioning: some of the benefits of 5G

To evaluate 5G under credible operating conditions, NREL modeled its micronetwork to replicate a military base in California. Identical solar panels, battery systems, car chargers and protective equipment were modeled with interfaces over the 5G network. Many scenarios were tested, including network failures and various cyber intrusions.

“Our test scenarios involved not only controlling the power grid and microgrids for resiliency, but also powering the 5G network itself. If we can keep the grid operating reliably, the communications network will, in turn, be functional,” said Brian Miller, manager of power systems engineering.

Scenarios included cell tower failure, microgrid controller failure and recovery, unsecured network traffic served overseas, and congestion from other network devices.

“Edge computing, traffic prioritization and private slicing all worked,” Miller said, discussing the 5G features that were implemented in the test micronetwork. “With this network, we could operate flawlessly; for example, prioritization allowed us to stay ahead even when communication traffic was at its maximum, which was like having dedicated access to critical systems.”

However, the delay was less impressive. Perhaps researchers could achieve much faster data exchange with 5G millimeter wave bands, but a geographically distributed micronetwork required greater coverage of sub-6 GHz bands. Latency was low, but not low enough to seamlessly coordinate power restoration without even power drops, as an emergency power unit typically provides.

When it comes to security, researchers have focused on every element of 5G and found many ways to make the network more secure against attackers. Because 5G relies on off-the-shelf server hardware and virtualized tools and features, each component requires careful cyber assessment and tuning to prevent threat actors from altering data or reading energy system parameters. Knowing that network elements and data flows are secure is the first step to being able to trust 5G technology in future distributed resource applications.

New laboratory possibilities

This 5G lab is an example of how government agencies can collaborate on technology that ensures mutual resilience. 5G is of particular importance to DOD because of its ability to support multiple rapid deployment scenarios such as expeditionary air base operations, flexible combat deployment, and more. After further testing, these results will serve as a basis for the military services to improve their infrastructure. More broadly, 5G research contributes to resilient national electric grids and U.S. innovation.

“We plan to use this project as a development platform for research opportunities that can be replicated in the cyber domain of Advanced Research in Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES),” Markel said. “5G core, multi-tenant edge computing, private segments – underpin research plans for safely integrating renewables at scale.”

ARIES is the ideal research environment for utilities, device developers, energy service providers and all network researchers to create their own systems and validate 5G solutions without the limitations of conducting tests directly on the public network.

“The industry has led this effort by planning for a modular and open 5G architecture, and we are exploring new ways to leverage its features on the power grid,” Markel said. “Millions of energy devices will be connected, and our research shows the path to distributed, resilient, secure and energy-efficient operation based on 5G technology.”

Learn about 5G cybersecurity job opportunities at NREL.