While
public-private
partnerships
may
have
been
successful
for
large
businesses,
small
businesses
with
limited
financial
and
human
assets
still
face
challenges.
The
100-day
plan
has
certainly
advanced
cybersecurity
in
the
energy
sector
by
focusing
on
ICS
security
and
grid
security
and
facilitating
coordination
between
public
and
private
entities
and
agencies.
However,
challenges
have
been
raised
in
the
areas
of
information
sharing
among
small
utilities,
solutions
tailored
for
them,
and
sustainable
initiatives.
Innovative
threat
intelligence
and
products
designed
for
large
utilities
are
too
expensive
for
small
utilities.
However,
the
power
grid
is
interconnected
between
large
and
small,
so
the
ownership
lays
intersections.
There
was
a
need
to
develop
sustainable
and
right-sized
solutions
for
small
to
secure
distribution
grid.
The
NRECA
has
developed
the
solution
from
three
perspectives.
The
first
was
to
define
the
requirements
for
sustainability,
if
it
did
not
necessarily
have
to
be
advanced,
but
rather
a
community-oriented,
affordable,
and
interoperable
solution.
The
second
requirement
was
to
support
small
utilities
decision-making.
It
should
incentivize
them
and
support
their
change.
The
third
requirement
was
to
provide
a
workforce
solution.
IT
staff
is
only
two
or
fewer
in
65%
of
the
distribution
cooperatives,
requiring
a
hybrid
operation
of
human
and
automation.
She
said
the
NRECA
launched
Threat
Analysis
Center
(TAC)
as
a
solution.
TAC
is
a
tool
and
community
that
enables
co-ops
to
focus
on
the
cyber
threats
that
matter,
respond
quickly
with
the
necessary
expertise,
and
engage
with
the
wider
threat
intelligence
community
without
sacrificing
privacy.
Electric
cooperatives
that
join
TAC
commit
to
equipping
their
operating
systems
with
a
continuous
monitoring
platform
that
can
quickly
determine
if
anomalies
occur
in
the
system.
TAC
pushes
“rules”
or
short
software
programs
for
co-ops
to
test
their
systems
for
new
and
old
hacking
methods.
The
NRECA
informs
utilities
of
urgent
and
critical
threat
information
from
federal
authorities
and
supports
co-ops
in
testing
for
threats.
It
can
also
understand
how
much
the
threat
has
actually
spread
by
applying
information
from
the
cooperatives.
The
more
co-ops
that
participate,
the
more
eyes
there
are
monitoring
the
power
grid,
minimizing
overall
damage.
The
Road
to
Solar
Energy
Cybersecurity
Marissa
Morales-Rodriguez,
Contractor
for
DOE/SETO,
Technology
Manager
Solar
power
generation
is
expected
to
reach
40%
of
the
total
electricity
supply
in
the
United
States
by
2035
and
45%
by
2050.
The
Solar
Energy
Technologies
Office
(SETO)
is
working
to
achieve
high
levels
of
cybersecurity
maturity
in
solar
power
generation
facilities
and
supply
chains,
including
Distributed
Energy
Resources
(DER),
using
a
diverse
range
of
stakeholders
and
numerous
technologies.
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