This paper proposes the use of the GNS3 IP network modeling platform to study/verify whether the exchanged information between power electronic devices and a control center (Monitoring and Control Centre) is secure. For the purpose of this work, a power distribution unit (PDU) and a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) that are used by internet service providers are studied. Capsa Free network analyzer and Wireshark network protocol analyzer were used as supporting tools. A working model of an IP network in GNS3 has been created through which this research has been carried out. In addition to checking whether the exchanged information is secure, a characterization of the generated traffic has been made, showing results for the generated traffic and which ports generate the most traffic. These carried-outstudies show that the exchanged information is not secure. As a way to secure the exchanged information, the use of VPN (Virtual Private Network) technology is proposed; thanks to a VPN, the exchange of information is secure. The obtained results confirm this and validate the applicability of GNS3 to test/study whether data exchange between power electronic devices and a control center is secure.

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Application of GNS3 to Study the Security of Data Exchange between Power Electronic Devices and Control Center

This paper presents a novel distributed hierarchical control method for ensuring voltage stability at the common connection point and achieving proportional current sharing among power converter elements in island mode DC microgrids. The proposed control method operates in two levels, namely primary and secondary control. The primary control employs droop control to achieve proportional current sharing, but it introduces bus voltage deviation. To address this, the secondary control incorporates a voltage regulation term to correct the voltage deviation, while also preventing current distortions through a current regulation term. Furthermore, a dynamic consensus algorithm is employed to estimate the energy parameters of the entire microgrid using data from neighboring controllers, reducing the communication burden and distance compared to central hierarchical control. The LORA communication modules are employed to facilitate communication, enabling the establishment of widely spread microgrids. Experimental validation of the designed distributed hierarchical control is conducted on a laboratory microgrid, and the obtained results are presented.

Distributed Hierarchical Control for Voltage Stability and Proportional Current Sharing in Island-Mode DC Microgrids

Software Defined Networking (SDN) is a communication alternative to increase the scalability and resilience of microgrid hierarchical control. The common architecture has a centralized and monolithic topology, where the controller is highly susceptible to latency problems, resiliency, and scalability issues. This paper proposes a novel and intelligent control network to improve the performance of microgrid communications, solving the typical drawback of monolithic SDN controllers. The SDN controller’s functionalities are segregated into microservices groups and distributed through a bare-metal Kubernetes cluster. Results are presented from PLECS hardware in the loop simulation to validate the seamless transition between standard hierarchical control to the SDN networked microgrid. The microservices significantly impact the performance of the SDN controller, decreasing the latency by 10.76% compared with a monolithic architecture. Furthermore, the proposed approach demonstrates a 42.23% decrease in packet loss versus monolithic topologies and a 53.41% reduction in recovery time during failures. Combining Kubernetes with SDN microservices can eliminate the single point of failure in hierarchical control, improve application recovery time, and enhance containerization benefits, including security and portability. This proposal represents a reference framework for future edge computing and intelligent control approaches in networked microgrids.

https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/7/3395/pdf?version=1679982278

Moving Microgrid Hierarchical Control to an SDN-Based Kubernetes Cluster: A Framework for Reliable and Flexible Energy Distribution

Hierarchical control is a widely used strategy that can increase resilience and improve the reliability of the electrical network based on microgrid global variables. The large amounts of data required during transitions prompt the use of more reliable and flexible communications to achieve the control objectives. Such communications can involve potential cyber vulnerabilities and latency restrictions, which cannot be always addressed in real-time. To accurately capture the system’s overall operation, this paper proposes a co-simulation framework driven by flexible communications and a resilient control algorithm to regulate the frequency and voltage deviations in a networked microgrid. Model-based predictive control has been implemented, to avoid slow transient response associated with linear hierarchical control. Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is responsible for increasing the communication intelligence during the power-sharing process. The effects of critical communications and overall system performance are reviewed and compared for different co-simulation scenarios. Graphical Network Simulator (GNS3) is used in combination with model-based predictive control and SDN, to provide latency below 100 ms, as defined in IEC 61850. Testing of the proposed system under different cyber attack scenarios demonstrate its excellent performance. The novel control architecture presented in the paper provides a reference framework for future cloud computing-based microgrids.

Ricardo E. Pérez Guzmán

Papers

Microgrid Power Sharing Framework for Software Defined Networking and Cybersecurity Analysis