A Blockchain-Enabled Approach for Enhancing Synchrophasor Measurement in Smart Grid 3.0

Amitkumar V. Jha, Bhargav Appasani, Deepak Kumar Gupta, Bharati S. Ainapure and Nicu Bizon ()
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Amitkumar V. Jha: School of Electronics Engineering, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar 751024, India
Bhargav Appasani: School of Electronics Engineering, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar 751024, India
Deepak Kumar Gupta: School of Electrical Engineering, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar 751024, India
Bharati S. Ainapure: Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Vishwakarma University, Pune 411056, India
Nicu Bizon: Faculty of Electronics, Communication and Computers, Pitești University Center, 110040 Pitesti, Romania

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 19, 1-20

Abstract: Smart Grid 3.0 is the latest evolution of the smart grid and incorporates advanced computing and communication technologies. The synchrophasor communication system plays a critical role in wide-area measurement systems (WAMS) for real-time protection and control of power systems, supporting the objectives of Smart Grid 3.0. This system relies on synchrophasor communication technologies, where Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) transmit synchrophasor data to Phasor Data Concentrators (PDCs) over the synchrophasor communication network. The communication infrastructure of this network is based on the TCP/IP protocol stack, which, unfortunately, is susceptible to cyberattacks, posing security threats such as data tampering and false data injection. These vulnerabilities undermine the intended benefits of synchrophasor applications in terms of situational awareness, observability, grid reliability, resiliency, and synchronized monitoring and control in the smart grid. To address these challenges, it is crucial to enhance the security, integrity, and confidentiality of synchrophasor data within the communication system. This paper proposes a blockchain-based synchrophasor communication system that preserves the security and integrity of synchrophasor data. In this paper, an architecture is proposed for a synchrophasor communication system based on blockchain technology. The proposed architecture aims to enhance the security and integrity of synchrophasor measurements. Furthermore, the architecture is developed as a peer-to-peer distributed blockchain network, leveraging the robustness of a distributed, decentralized, hierarchical PDC architecture. To evaluate the efficacy of the proposed architecture, two case studies, one using the IEEE 9 bus and the other using IEEE 14 bus systems are considered. Moreover, various challenges with potential solutions are also recommended. The proposed work is envisioned to contribute to the advancement of Smart Grid 3.0 by adopting blockchain technology for synchrophasor applications.

Keywords: Smart Grid 3.0; synchrophasor technology; synchrophasor applications; synchrophasor communication network; blockchain; reliability; security (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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