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DOE OSTI2021

Cybersecurity Resiliency of Marine Renewable Energy Systems Part 2: Cybersecurity Best Practices and Risk Management

Marine renewable energy (MRE) is an emerging source of power for marine applications, marine devices, and coastal communities. This energy source relies on industrial control systems and IT to support operations and maintenance activities, which create a pathway for an adversary to gain unauthorized access to systems and data and disrupt operations. Incorporating cybersecurity risk prevention measures and mitigation capabilities from inception, development, operation, to decommissioning of the MRE system and components is paramount to the protection of energy generation and the security of network architecture and infrastructure. To improve the resilience of MRE systems as a predictable, affordable, and reliable source of energy, cybersecurity guidance was developed to enable operators to assess cybersecurity risks and implement security measures commensurate with the risk. This publication is the second of a two-part series, with Part 1 addressing a framework to determine cybersecurity risk by assessing the vulnerability of an MRE system to potential cyber threats and the consequences a cyberattack would have on the end user. This Part 2 publication describes an approach to select appropriate cybersecurity best practices commensurate with the MRE system's cybersecurity risk. The guidance includes 86 cybersecurity best practices, which are associated with 36 cybersecurity domains and grouped into nine categories. The best practices follow the core functions of the National Institute of Science and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (e.g., identify, detect, protect, respond, and and recover) and insights from both maritime and energy industry guidance documents to identify security measures effective in protecting information and operational technology assets prevalent in MRE systems.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Large-scale inflatable structures for tunnel protection: a review of the Resilient Tunnel Plug project

The protection of underground civil infrastructure continues to be a high priority for transportation and transit security agencies. In particular, rail transit tunnels running under bodies of water are susceptible to disruptions due to flooding caused by extraordinary climatic events such as hurricanes or other events resulting from human activities. Several events have taken place in the past decades that have demonstrated the need to mitigate vulnerabilities or, at least, minimize the consequences of catastrophic events. Although it is impossible to prevent all situations that can lead to flooding, damage can be substantially decreased by reducing the area affected by the event. To minimize the effects of an event, a possible approach is to compartmentalize the tunnel system by creating temporary barriers that can contain the propagation of flooding until a more permanent solution can be implemented. One way to create a temporary barrier is by the deployment of a large-scale inflatable structure, also known as an inflatable plug. In such an application, the inflatable structure is prepared for placement, either permanently or temporally, and maintained ready for deployment, inflation, and pressurization when needed. The internal plug pressure imparts a normal force against the tunnel wall surface with the friction between the plug and tunnel surfaces opposing axial movement of the plug. The sealing effectiveness depends on the ability of the inflatable structure to self-deploy and fit, without human intervention, to the intricacies of the perimeter of the conduit being sealed. Primary design constraints include having the plug stowed away from the dynamic envelope of the trains and being able to withhold the pressure of the flooding water. This work presents a compilation of the main aspects of the activities completed for the development of large-scale inflatable structures as part of the Resilient Tunnel Plug (RTP) Project. The main test results and lessons learned are presented to demonstrate the viability of implementing large-scale inflatable plugs for the containment of flooding in rail tunnels systems. Over 400 coupon and specimen tests, 200 reduced scale tests, and 100 full-scale tests were conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of the design of different prototypes over a 10-year research and development project. The culmination of the work was 12 large-scale flooding demonstrations where the inflatable tunnel plug was shown able to be deployed remotely and withstand a simulated flooding event.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Foreward: Advancing the U.S. Offshore Renewable Energy Industry through Marine Renewable and Offshore Wind Energy Development

Foreward to special issue of MTSJ Journal: Energy security … it’s what everyone is talking about, and for good reason. Against the backdrop of a changing climate in which nearly two-thirds of electricity generation is credited to fossil fuels (IEA, 2019a), countries around the world are diversifying their energy portfolios, suppliers, and energy routes to reduce vulnerabilities to energy security risks (U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2020). Energy security concerns are related to fuel supply chains, electricity generation, transmission, distribution, energy market functionality, and energy system resiliency (DOE, 2017). These concerns demonstrate the need for well-functioning and competitive energy markets and diverse sources and routes of energy supply (DOE, 2017). In addition, environmental protection, efficiency and infrastructure improvements, energy innovation, emergency response, and resilience are also needed (DOE, 2017). Renewable energy generation is, and will continue to be, a major contributor in energy portfolio diversification, which will reduce reliance on foreign energy sources (IEA, 2019b; Aslantürk & Kiprizli, 2020) and support global decarbonization (Sims, 2004; Rockström et al., 2017; Arabzadeh et al., 2020).

marine renewable energy (MRE), offshore wind energ↗

DOE OSTI2025

Utility-Scale Operational Consequences for Solar Grid Services

This report delves into the critical aspects of grid services provided by solar inverter-based resources (IBRs), with an emphasis on the evolving landscape of microgrids, virtual power plants (VPPs), aggregators, and distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS). As the energy sector undergoes a transformative shift towards more decentralized and resilient grid architectures, understanding the multifaceted risks associated with these technologies becomes paramount. The report categorizes these risks into organizational, technical, and procedural domains, providing a thorough risk assessment framework that stakeholders can utilize to anticipate and mitigate potential issues. In addressing the increasing complexity of grid interconnections, the report highlights the importance of Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE). By embedding engineering controls and cybersecurity measures into the early stages of system design, this approach aims to fortify grid infrastructure against emerging cyber threats. The analysis includes an exploration of best practices and strategies for integrating CIE principles to enhance grid security and resilience. To provide practical insights, the report conducts a detailed consequence analysis of various grid services and cyber mitigations that can be applied through the interconnection process. This analysis evaluates the potential impacts of different failure modes and vulnerabilities, offering a clear understanding of the consequences that could arise from disruptions within the energy grid. The findings are further enriched by a series of case studies that illustrate real-world scenarios and lessons learned from past incidents. Through this comprehensive examination of grid services and their criticality, the report aims to prepare industry professionals with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the complexities of modern energy systems. By providing a comprehensive approach that includes risk assessment, cybersecurity, and consequence analysis, solar stakeholders can more effectively guarantee the reliability, efficiency, and security of the energy grid.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2020

Dragonstone Strategy – State of Cybersecurity in the Oil & Natural Gas Sector

The oil & natural gas (ONG) system touches every corner of the nation and increased communications & control capabilities have not only allowed for greater efficiency of system operation, but have also created a massive target for adversaries to launch cyber-attacks. Like any other heavy industrial process, the ONG system relies on a complex system of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) devices. The current state of cyber-preparedness across the ONG industry varies from organization to organization. Among the most common challenges that ONG companies face are remote locations, longlived field assets, and lacking capabilities to find and track malware on their systems. ONG companies tend to be concerned with lack of cyber-awareness from employees, risk stemming from remote access for operations & maintenance, and software vulnerabilities within third-party equipment. Various industry and government organizations are performing research and development activities to address some of these challenges, but in many cases industry stakeholders are not aware of solutions that already exist. It is clear that a need exists for a coherent, comprehensive, multi-layered strategy for assuring the security and resilience of the nation's pipeline infrastructure against cyber threats. For a variety of reasons, the general consensus from stakeholders interviewed by LLNL is that the state of cyber-security within the electric grid is currently outpacing its ONG cousin. Existing strategies for the resilience and cyber-security of the electric grid can and should be leveraged to provide immediate benefits to the ONG system. In LLNL’s view, there are two key factors currently limiting the development of necessary cyber-practices within the ONG industry: The sheer number of differing regulatory bodies and trade groups offering both standards and best-practice recommendations for ONG cyber-security makes it difficult to create a comprehensive, directed, and coherent strategy that is applicable to all players within the ONG industry. The ONG industry is unaware of potentially useful technologies that have been developed for ensuring cyber-security of other infrastructure systems, such as the electric grid. Leveraging these technologies—and the science and engineering behind them—can provide some low-hanging fruit that can greatly improve cyber-security in the ONG industry without significant investments in terms of time and money. In the months following this report, LLNL will continue to perform outreach to key oil & gas industry stakeholders in a continual effort to identify the most pressing cyber-resilience issues in the industry. This outreach will be supplemented with LLNL’s threat intelligence capabilities to begin painting a clearer picture of the overall threat landscape faced by this sector. This assessment will be threat-informed and while the strategy itself will not be classified we will leverage intelligence analysis and adversary capabilities to identify gaps in current cybersecurity practices for oil & gas pipeline systems. Recommended efforts will be compiled into a cyber-resilience roadmap for the oil & gas pipeline sector, in which LLNL will highlight priority activities to immediately improve the state of cyber-resilience in the industry.

02 PETROLEUM↗

DOE OSTI2021

Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project Targets Gaps in Energy Resilience: Technical Assistance Network Works Alongside Communities to Shore Up Vulnerabilities

This fact sheet provides a general overview of the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP). It describes the general purpose of the program, and provides some general examples of technical assistance that could be offered through the program.

44 EE - Strategic Programs, Energy Transition Init↗

DOE OSTI2024

Cybersecurity Assessment in DER-rich Distribution Operations: Criticality Levels and Impact Analysis

The integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) in distribution networks has become a pivotal strategy for achieving decarbonization, enhancing grid resilience, and optimizing grid efficiency. Remote monitoring and control op- erations of such resources rely on a network of sensors and communication infrastructure, exposing the system to potential cyber threats. Therefore, as the deployment of DERs increases, ensuring secure monitoring and control becomes an imperative challenge. This paper utilizes real-time feeder models, which are instrumental in developing cybersecurity testbeds tailored for hardware-in-loop (HIL) systems. These models enable users to simulate cyber attacks in a real-world environment and analyze the power distribution operations during vulnerabilities. Furthermore, we discuss several practical sets of grid parameters to identify critical levels of DERs and evaluate various scenarios that simulate cyber threats on sensitive DERs. The modified IEEE 123-bus model is used as the test case for demonstrating the proposed scenarios. The findings from this study provide valuable insights into the vulnerabilities and potential consequences of cyber attacks on DERs, allowing for better mitigation strategies and improved cyber resilience in future distribution networks.

Maharjan, Manisha↗

DOE OSTI2023

EyeON

EyeON: Eye on Operational technology Software Supply Chain attacks have risen drastically over the past few years, none more well-known and impactful than the SolarWinds compromise. Criminal organizations inserted an attack vector into a specific version of the source code, giving themselves an air of credibility. Once news broke on SolarWinds, identifying compromised sites was very difficult, even knowing the culprit update. Software Bills of Materials (SBOM) have been touted as the solution to reclaiming control of your software supply chain. Deployment of SBOMs has been slow, however, due to conflicting standards, opaque storage requirements, and vendor adoption. Additionally, the path from obtaining an SBOM and securing your supply chain is unclear; how can an SBOM library be leveraged to provide insight to your attack surface? The EyeON tool, sponsored by Department of Energy Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (DoE CESER), aims to address these gaps by providing an encapsulated solution to tracking which updates have been installed in an enterprise, and alerting system administrators to vulnerabilities as they become known. Similar to a virus scanner, EyeON is a command line tool to parse either a single file, nested directory structure, or filesystem. It collects data such as signature (hashes), version information, VirusTotal tags, compiler, compilation date, and code signing information. Users will anonymously submit scan data periodically to DoE CESER, who will then compile a database of known software products employed by Critical Infrastructure and broadcast alerts based on discovered flaws as they arise.

Tenzing, Wangmo↗

DOE OSTI2023

Emulation and Adversarial Analysis of EV Charging Networks

In the effort of decarbonization and evolution of the modern electrical grid, electric vehicles (EVs) play a key part to transform the grid. However, due to the rapid adoption of EVs and the demand of the charging infrastructure required to power said EVs, risk of a cyber-attack may impose serious consequences. There is a need to analyze and protect the charging ecosystem infrastructure from cyber threats before it reaches wide-scale deployment. In an effort to secure vehicle to grid (V2G) communications, standardization is necessary for continued reliable system operation. The protocol ISO 15118 outlines controls and practices that should be implemented for secure vehicle to grid (V2G) communications. The standard is gaining momentum for American markets as the demand for EV infrastructure grows. The adoption of ISO 15118 in American markets poses several challenges: the deployment of a public key infrastructure (PKI) as outlined within the standard, interoperability of charging different EVs with chargers from different manufactures using the PKI, and scaling the ecosystem to meet the demand while managing risks. This project was created to understand potential cyber and scaling challenges of PKI for EV infrastructure through utilizing a series of emulated components mapping to what exists in the EV ecosystem today, and the components of the PKI that are under development. The key nodes within the emulation that are under development are: electric vehicle (EV), electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), charge network operator (CNO), certificate authority (CA), and online certificate status protocol (OCSP) that must all interact using secure and trusted communications. With these emulated components and utilizing orchestration methods to rapidly deploy and scale the components, the ability to analyze risks of the ecosystem and address gaps before the PKI ecosystem is fully deployed to production should yield a more robust and mature production charging infrastructure. Our approach will use a modular architecture of virtual machines within an orchestration platform and will target scales of 100s, 1000s, and 10,000s of entities interacting. The core research questions trying to be answered with this scope of work are: what are the impacts of a rogue CA, what are the risks of certificate revocation list (CRL) management, what is the value of OCSP stapling, what components are vulnerable to DOS attacks, and what test effective payloads may impact the components.

charging ecosystem↗

DOE OSTI2020

Annual Scientific Focus Area Report for the Energy Exascale Earth System Model Project: Phase II

The project's long-term goal is to assert and maintain an international scientific leadership position in the development of Earth system models that address the grand challenge of actionable predictions of Earth system variability and change, with an emphasis on the most critical scientific questions facing the nation and DOE. The grand challenge will be addressed by overcoming three major limitations: Pushing the high-resolution frontier of Earth system modeling through a combination of strategic model development and computational advances targeting exascale computers and beyond. Bridging the gap in scales and processes by developing a new class of models that couple the natural, managed, and man-made systems across scales to address energy sector vulnerability to variability and change. The project will achieve its goal through four intersecting project elements: A series of prediction and simulation experiments addressing scientific questions and mission needs; A well-documented and tested, continuously advancing, evolving, and improving system of model codes that comprise the E3SM Earth system model; The ability to use effectively leading (and “bleeding”) edge computational facilities soon after their deployment at DOE national laboratories; and An infrastructure to support code development, hypothesis testing, simulation execution, and analysis of results. To achieve the Grand Challenge of actionable Earth system predictions to address the most critical scientific questions facing our nation and DOE, the E3SM project defined its strategy in a fifteen-year roadmap with four intersecting project elements: A series of prediction and simulation experiments addressing scientific questions and mission needs; A well-documented and tested, continuously advancing, evolving, and improving system of model codes that comprise the E3SM Earth system model ; The ability to use effectively leading (and “bleeding”) edge computational facilities soon after their deployment at DOE national laboratories; and An infrastructure to support code development, hypothesis testing, simulation execution, and analysis of results. Figure 1 depicts the E3SM Project Roadmap, showing the relationships among the first three major project elements: the simulations, the modeling system to perform those simulations, and the machines on which they will be executed. Unlike the other three elements that have distinct but overlapping phases, the fourth element, the infrastructure, will evolve continuously based on the requirements imposed by project needs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Identification of Worst Impact Zones for Power Grids During Extreme Weather Events Using Q-Learning: Preprint

Both the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events have been trending higher in recent years, leading to significant infrastructure loss in the electric grid. The impact of these extreme weather events is desired to be analyzed and quantified in order to help transmission and distribution system operators to prepare and prevent significant losses. In this paper, we developed an approach that models the impact of extreme weather on the power grid and identifies the worst impact zone using Q-learning (a reinforcement learning approach). The identification results reveal grid vulnerability to weather events and provide insights for system operators to help achieve optimal resource allocation and crew dispatch in order to minimize the adverse impact of extreme weather. Simulation studies are conducted on the IEEE 123-node system to demonstrate the performance of the proposed approach.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2020

Identification of Worst Impact Zones for Power Grids During Extreme Weather Events Using Q-learning

Both the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events have been trending higher in recent years, leading to significant infrastructure damage in the electric grid. The impact of these extreme weather events is desired to be analyzed and quantified to help transmission and distribution system operators prepare for and prevent significant damage and subsequent loss of power. In this paper, we develop an approach that models the impact of extreme weather on the grid and identifies the worst impact zone using Q-learning (a reinforcement learning approach). The identification results reveal grid vulnerability to weather events and provide insights for system operators to help achieve optimal resource allocation and crew dispatch to minimize the adverse impacts of extreme weather. Simulation studies are conducted on the IEEE 123-node system to demonstrate the performance of the proposed approach.

distribution system↗

DOE OSTI2022

Smart Microgrids

The Nation’s electrical power depends on one bulk power grid to support security and economic prosperity. According to the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Threat Assessment of 2020, the largest cyber threat to homeland security is potential disruption to critical infrastructure, including power grids. Critical infrastructure includes the physical and cyber systems which generate, transmit, and distribute electricity with an impact on economic security, public health, or safety. The surety of the Nation’s power grid is vital for providing essential services and would put the population at risk if disrupted. Power outages can have catastrophic consequences for critical organizations such as hospitals and military installations. Additionally, the current fossil-fuel dependent power grid is extremely fragile and vulnerable to overloads, storms that destroy power lines, and cyber-attacks.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2021

Identification of Worst Impact Zones for Power Grids During Extreme Weather Events Using Q-Learning

extreme weather↗

DOE OSTI2022

Microelectronics at the Department of Energy: Capabilities and Opportunities for Driving U.S. Competitiveness

Microelectronics are everywhere—embedded in our consumer products; underlying our power, transportation, and information infrastructure; and fortifying our national security. These and other microelectronics applications are also intricately linked with America’s energy and decarbonization goals. For instance, advanced power electronics are critical to our transition to renewable power and electric transport, and more energy-efficient computing and consumer devices are needed as energy consumption grows rapidly. Meanwhile, global supply chain disruptions beginning in 2020 and the ensuing chip shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the vulnerability of microelectronics supply chains. The globally distributed manufacturing base can be disrupted in unexpected ways, and there is no single solution to these challenges given the range of applications and technologies within the microelectronics industry—from ever-smaller, nanoscale feature sizes to large-scale commodity use cases to specialized functionalities. Rather, solutions will require the private sector, federal agencies, and research and development (R&D) organizations such as labs and universities to act in concert beyond their individual missions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2026

Policy Reforms to Unleash Domestic Critical Minerals Mining and Processing

The United States faces growing strategic and economic risks due to its limited ability to mine, process, and refine the minerals required for national defense, energy systems, advanced manufacturing, and emerging technologies. Although the country possesses significant geological resources, development has been slowed by long and unpredictable permitting timelines, fragmented regulatory responsibilities, limited midstream processing capacity, and a shrinking technical workforce. These structural barriers have created supply chain vulnerabilities that constrain industrial growth and reduce national resilience. This report presents a comprehensive set of reforms intended to modernize the nation’s approach to critical minerals. The recommendations address federal permitting, environmental review processes, the legal framework governing mining activities, interagency coordination, domestic processing and refining capacity, and the education and workforce systems needed to support long term industry development. The analysis emphasizes practical steps to shorten project timelines, improve regulatory clarity, expand processing infrastructure, enable recovery from both conventional and nontraditional sources, and update outdated requirements that hinder the development of essential materials. Taken together, the recommended reforms would strengthen domestic supply chains, improve investment certainty, and reduce dependence on external minerals and processing infrastructure. By aligning policy, regulatory frameworks, and workforce capabilities with national needs, the United States can build a more resilient and secure critical minerals ecosystem that supports long term economic competitiveness and technological leadership.

29 - ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Evaluating the role of green infrastructure features in post-disaster recovery – Case Study of Beaumont, Texas after tropical storm imelda

While green infrastructure (GI) can provide multiple environmental benefits, its role in post-disaster economic and social recovery remains relatively underexplored. This article investigates whether different characteristics of GI, such as size, shape, connectivity, and amenities, affect the resilience of local businesses following Tropical Storm Imelda in Beaumont, Texas. The study utilizes SafeGraph mobility data to analyze foot traffic patterns to local businesses before, during, and after the disaster. FRAGSTATS indices measure GI characteristics (e.g., area, shape index, fractal dimension, proximity) while park features such as sports facilities, playgrounds, water features, and accessibility are cataloged through manual observation. Ordinary Least Squares regression models assess the relationship between park characteristics and post-recovery business performance, controlling for demographic variables including income, race, and poverty levels. Results indicate that certain GI attributes significantly enhance business recovery. Points of interest within walking distance (0.5 miles) of parks demonstrated better post-recovery status compared to those beyond this range. Specifically, parks with larger areas (p < 0.01) and more complex shapes measured by fractal dimension index (p < 0.01) had the strongest positive impact on surrounding businesses' recovery. Interestingly, playgrounds showed a negative correlation with recovery (p < 0.05), likely due to flood damage rendering them unusable during the immediate recovery period. Social vulnerability factors, including higher poverty rates and minority populations, negatively affected recovery outcomes despite park proximity.

Economic resilience↗

DOE OSTI2023

Equity‐aware power distribution system restoration

Abstract The efficient, reliable, and resilient supply of electricity has become essential for social and economic well‐being of the modern society. However, more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events has exposed inequity in the planning and operation practices of power distribution systems, evidenced in higher vulnerability and longer power interruptions for some parts of the grid as compared to others. This paper proposes an equity‐aware power distribution system restoration model in an effort to ensure a more equitable yet resilient power distribution operation after outages. To this end, the proposed equity‐aware distribution system restoration model balances the efficiency of the restoration operation and the equitable allocation of distributed energy resources among affected customers after an outage, while prioritizing the critical infrastructure (e.g. hospitals). The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework to ensure a more equitable restoration process as measured by the proposed fairness and restoration performance indices.

Engineering↗