On the control of microgrids against cyber-attacks: A review of methods and applications

Nowadays, the use of renewable generations, energy storage systems (ESSs) and microgrids (MGs) has been developed due to better controllability of distributed energy resources (DERs) as well as their cost-effective and emission-aware operation. The development of MGs as well as the use of hierarchical control has led to data transmission in the communication platform. As a result, the expansion of communication infrastructure has made MGs as cyber-physical systems (CPSs) vulnerable to cyber-attacks (CAs). Accordingly, prevention, detection and isolation of CAs during proper control of MGs is essential. In this paper, a comprehensive review on the control strategies of microgrids against CAs and its defense mechanisms has been done. The general structure of the paper is as follows: firstly, MGs operational conditions, i.e., the secure or insecure mode of the physical and cyber layers are investigated and the appropriate control to return to a safer mode are presented. Then, the common MGs communication system is described which is generally used for multi-agent systems (MASs). Also, classification of CAs in MGs has been reviewed. Afterwards, a comprehensive survey of available researches in the field of prevention, detection and isolation of CA and MG control against CA are summarized. Finally, future trends in this context are clarified.

Automated summary

This paper provides a comprehensive review of control strategies and defense mechanisms against cyber-attacks in microgrids (MGs). It discusses the operational conditions of MGs and presents appropriate control methods to ensure a safer mode. The common MGs communication system and the classification of cyber-attacks in MGs are described. Furthermore, the paper summarizes the existing research on prevention, detection, and isolation of cyber-attacks, as well as the control of MGs against such attacks. Finally, future trends in this field are discussed.