Networked Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) introduce cyber and physical vulnerabilities, and not enough attention is paid to training, design and operation.
As a follow-up to my Feb. 14 Unfettered Blog, “Cyber vulnerable battery systems are catching fire and communicate directly to China”, T&D World published the update “How Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks are Battery Energy Storage Systems?” The Control blog did not specifically address a report presented through the Sandia National Laboratories on BESS cybersecurity, “Analyzing and Mitigating the Cyber Risks of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Supplied from China”. The report identified issues with Chinese port cranes but surprisingly did not identify the cyber issues with Chinese-made transformers that can electronically communicate with BESS systems.
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Because of the lack of control system cyber forensics and training, it is difficult to identify BESS control system incidents as being cyber-related or whether they are malicious or unintentional.
As BESS systems use power conversion systems (inverters) to convert dc to ac, issues such as out-of-phase conditions like Aurora need to be addressed particularly when Chinese-made components are communicating directly to China. These are engineering considerations that would not be addressed by OT security organizations.
