Why a proactive data strategy is the key to grid resilience

Christian Wirth explains how a shift towards virtual and remote work environments alongside evolving customer preferences have combined to create an environment rife with uncertainty and unpredictability for utilities

Extreme weather events such as recent flash floods, forest fires, and deep freezes have left grids facing a multitude of hazards.

These unpredictable events coupled with the decentralisation of power generation and storage have left grids susceptible to a larger array of geographical vulnerabilities.

As with every industry, technological adoption is increasing ten-fold, and with that also comes an increased risk of physical and cybersecurity attacks.

For utilities, the notion of ‘smart grids’ in itself represents a significant vulnerability, reflecting the increase in assets and devices in the field, as well as the growing interdependency between online and offline infrastructures.

The expanding and constantly evolving Internet of Things also leaves operators at increased risk of ransomware attacks.

These new operating realities require the sector as a whole to pay its utmost attention to implementing a network risk model, that should be put in place before an incident forces action. Businesses now more than ever require maximum network uptime, which in turn necessitates a resilience strategy focused on open infrastructure dedicated to quality customer service.

Proactive approach

A McKinsey report documented how the highest-performing companies across industries were those that made bolder investments in technology post-pandemic.

Indeed, in today’s era of artificial intelligence, smart grids and big data, threat levels across the board require a proactive approach to disaster prevention whereas historically network resilience strategies were merely response-driven.

True resilience will require network and customer service data to be collated, both on- and offline, to provide a high-level view of potential risks that can be proactively addressed.

Also of interest
Horizon Europe: Five flexibility projects
Energy Transitions Podcast: AMI – benefits & challenges of this technology for developing countries

Receiving a constant stream of insightful data is imperative to creating a real-time ‘risk picture’, which operators can use to identify concerning trends and potential threats on the horizon.

An overarching view of previous data records allows operators to pinpoint common dangers and use this knowledge to pre-empt future negative consequences.

Many networks do not have their data networks linked to geospatial location which is imperative for understanding risks to local geographies. Some operators, however, are ahead of the curve, allowing them to accurately track power outages and maximise customer satisfaction.

Missing data

Too often operators, particularly of smaller size, are not able to digitise their network in the form of a System of Record (SoR). Their data often exists in paper or disconnected digital formats that are unavailable to those that need it across the business.

A lack of effective, integrated and remotely available SoRs leaves companies unaware of many of the risks to their network.

In other cases, power companies face resistance due to a lack of interoperability across the enterprise. Data can be inaccessible or incompatible and operators often only find this out at the last moment when the damage has already been done.

Microsoft bosses reveal role of data and innovation in the race to net zero
How digitalisation and big data can help transform the European energy network

Even in today’s era of smartphones and smart devices, network data is rarely mobile-accessible, preventing operators from having access to or receiving a live feed of threats, hazards, and updates from workers on the ground.

Here are four best practice tips companies should take into consideration when developing a proactive, data-driven, network resilience strategy.

Assess risk & resilience: By reassessing the network they have in place, operators can create a more resilient infrastructure that is capable of identifying and mitigating areas of potential risk and common points of failure. Digitisation and decentralisation of network data must be a priority to create a diverse and detailed ‘risk picture’ that incorporates live on-site data linked to accurate location information.

To inform a real-time and holistic view of risk, companies should be utilising up-to-date data from those on the ground through mobile capabilities and remote sensors, overlaying this onto their geospatial network data to reveal possible vulnerabilities or threats.

Structured system security: Dependent on the organisation, either third-party or in-house cloud environments are adopted today as standard. In either case, however, it is non-negotiable that all data should be part of a well-considered IT security and recovery strategy to limit the risk of IT failure.

Regardless of what cloud environment is adopted, it must support state-of-the-art security, system redundancy, and geographic resilience.

Exclusive: Using digitalisation to achieve net zero infrastructure in power and renewables

Critical response: Simply put, operators must have a comprehensive overview of their network. This means having in place a company-wide response strategy for damage and incidents across both field and office teams. For example, when Typhoon Faxai hit Japan, power giant TEPCO was able to overlay live geospatial data on failed locations with data from Google Maps, allowing fast identification of damage or hazards for engineers.

Similarly, Kansai Electric Power is developing an ‘outage dashboard’ that is tied to locations and provides full visibility of where damaged assets are, and their condition. This data can then be used not only to monitor and maintain networks, but also mitigate future threats by enabling a dynamic ‘data model’, ensuring greater customer service in the long term.

Practice makes perfect: Ensure your team and partners are up to date on the latest IT systems and operational procedures, including refresher courses and training so that they can effectively respond to incidents in an efficient and appropriate manner.

Just as companies perform regular fire-drills, physical and virtual infrastructure tests should become second nature to ensure network resilience. Field teams should expect the unexpected and be able to proceed accordingly no matter the challenges they face. Following these guidelines will guarantee best practice is drilled into workforce behaviours.

Risk mitigation

The range of physical and virtual threats to utility networks continues to grow in scale as well as in unpredictability.

It is vital that operators re-evaluate and optimize their approach to risk mitigation, maximising network resilience in the process.

By taking a proactive and data-driven approach as outlined above, network operators can change their historically reactive models to build and maintain a proactive and consistent risk picture. In doing so, they can inform, develop and maintain a future resilience strategy and provide crucial, high-quality customer service.

Christian Wirth contributed this article when acting as General Manager for Europe and Asia at geospatial software company IQGeo.