IUCRC Phase 1 Florida International University: Center for Infrastructure Trustworthiness in Energy Systems (CITES)

能源系统基础设施可信性中心(CITES)是IUCRC的新阶段，专注于网络弹性和能源系统(例如，电网发电、输电和配电)可信性关键领域的研究问题，这些系统广泛依赖网络技术。CITES由三个大学站点(伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校、阿肯色大学和佛罗里达国际大学)组成，旨在推进研究和技术，以满足未得到满足和服务不足的行业需求，以更好地确保能源系统的安全。CITES将与其成员(紧急医疗服务办公室、能源供应商、国家实验室和行业协会)密切合作，通过开发研究来帮助确保国防安全，从而找到保护能源系统免受其网络基础设施内部故障和攻击的实用方法。CITES解决的基本问题涉及对这些“业务技术”(OT)系统的专门要求背景下的网络复原力，包括OT设备的异质性以及与更广泛使用的信息技术(IT)设备的集成。该中心将专注于检测和快速响应对网络基础设施的攻击，从成功攻击的影响中快速恢复，降低修补操作系统的成本和风险，并确保设备之间的通信足够快，有足够的流量来支持运营。CITES还将在增加国家OT知识网络安全专业人员的劳动力方面发挥重要作用。研究方法包括系统分析、形式方法和其他数学，以及原型的实证评估。CITES的技术贡献包括利用佛罗里达国际大学的S专业试验台进行知识创造、知识转移和概念实践证明。能源供应商通过观察提高复原力的潜力而受益；设备制造商受益于经过验证的想法，其他利益相关者受益于知识的增加。FIU的CITES研究分三个阶段进行。第一个推力是提高安全性，它解决了能源行业越来越多地使用带有嵌入式传感器、转换器、执行机构和通过有线和无线连接的控制机制的电力电子设备相关的问题。电网、电气化交通、数据中心和物联网(IoT)设备依赖于值得信赖的电力电子设备。该中心寻求确定最佳密钥管理方法，使现有解决方案可部署到电网，并采用轻量级、具有显著带宽和存储效率的新型解决方案。第二个推力--加强支持能源网络物理系统的通信--为保护商业无线网络及其与运行在其上的能源系统设备的交互提供了关键能力。该中心利用5G和卫星通信和导航频段的全面频率范围，支持安全措施和表征技术，以服务于不断增长的行业和相关能源系统创新、物联网(IoT)和导航，以支持当前和未来的能源网络物理系统。第三个推动力，电动汽车基础设施的安全-解决了电动汽车广泛使用所迫使的各种与安全和安保相关的问题。与电力电子、充电站的布置和管理相关的广泛的研究问题支持聚合电池功率以支持可再生能源。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Center for Infrastructure Trustworthiness in Energy Systems (CITES), a new Phase I IUCRC, focuses on research issues in the critical area of cyber resilience and the trustworthiness of energy systems (e.g., electric grid generation, transmission, and distribution), which have an extensive dependence on cyber technology. Composed of three University sites (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Arkansas, and Florida International University), CITES seeks to advance research and technologies that addresses unmet and underserved industry needs to better secure energy systems. In close partnership with its members (Offices of Emergency Medical Services, energy providers, national labs, and industry associations), CITES will help secure the national defense by developing research that leads to practical means of protecting energy systems against failure within and attacks upon their cyber infrastructures. The fundamental issues addressed by CITES concern cyber resilience in the context of the specialized requirements for these “operational technology” (OT) systems, issues which include the heterogeneity of OT equipment, and integration with much more widely used informational technology (IT) equipment. The Center will focus on detecting and quickly responding to attacks on the cyber infrastructure, rapidly recovering from the impacts of successful attacks, decreasing the costs and risks of patching operational systems, and ensuring that communication between devices happens fast enough and with enough volume to support operations. CITES will also serve an important role in augmenting the nation’s workforce in OT-knowledgeable cyber-security professionals.Research methodologies include system analysis, formal methods and other mathematics, and empirical evaluation of prototypes. CITES technical contributions include knowledge creation, knowledge transfer, and practical proofs of concept that utilize Florida International University (FIU)'s specialized testbeds. Energy providers benefit by observing the potential for increased resilience; Equipment manufacturers benefit from proven ideas, and other stakeholders benefit from increased knowledge. CITES research at FIU is organized in three thrusts. The first thrust is increasing security which addresses issues related to increased energy industry use of power electronics with embedded sensors, converters, actuation, and control mechanisms through wired and wireless connections. Electric grids, electrified transportation, data centers, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices rely on trustworthy power electronics. The Center seeks to identify the best key management approaches, make the existing solutions deployable to the power grid, and adapt novel solutions that will be lightweight, have significant bandwidth, and be storage efficient. The second thrust - enhancing communications supporting energy cyber-physical systems - provides critical capabilities for securing commercial wireless networks and their interactions with energy systems equipment that operate on them. The Center utilizes a comprehensive frequency range across the 5G and satellite communications and navigation bands to enable security measures and characterization techniques that serve the growing industry and related energy systems innovations, internet of things (IoT), and navigation in support of current and future energy cyber-physical systems. The third thrust, security of electric vehicle infrastructure - solves diverse problems related to safety and security that are forced by the widespread use of electric vehicles. A broad space of research problems related to power electronics, placement, and management of charging stations supports aggregate battery power to support renewable energy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.