Unveiling the Cyber-Physical Security Project for Smart Grid Systems at The Hashemite University

Smart Grids generally referred to employing communication tools and emerging technologies in the existing power grids to enable two-way communication and control capabilities. The smart grid aims to optimally monitor and control the entire power grid and increase its efficiency by involving different technologies such as smart metering, renewable energy integration, distribution generations, electric vehicle and demand response. However, as a result of relying on computation, control and communication technologies, the smart grid becomes susceptible to cyber-physical attacks. Nowadays, smart grid security is crucial to achieving reliable and efficient power system operation with less possibility of power failure or equipment malfunction at High Voltage (HV), Medium Voltage (MV) and Low Voltage (LV) levels. To be able to understand and solve the smart grid security needs and challenges, it is significant to address and evaluate the cyber-physical threats. Therefore, this project will provide a state-of-art roadmap to evaluate the resilience of smart grid systems at the three levels of voltage HV, MV and LV. In this project, the impact of different scenarios of cyber-physical threats on the power network will be investigated and tested.

The Need for Cyber-Physical Security in Smart Grid Systems

Nowadays, smart grid security is crucial to achieving reliable and efficient power system operation with less possibility of power failure or equipment malfunction at HV/MV and LV levels. In order to understand and solve the smart grid security needs and challenges, it is significant to evaluate cyberphysical threats. Therefore, this project will provide a state-of-art roadmap to evaluate the resilience of smart grid systems at three levels of the voltage network: Transmission network ( HV), MV and LV. In general, the literature focused on the HV level for investigating the cyber-physical threats without taking into account the cyber-attacks and threats on MV and LV which have more probability than HV. In this project, the impact of different scenarios of cyber-physical threats on real LV networks including the different grid components such as renewable energy systems (PV), smart metering and electric vehicle charging stations are investigated and tested. This will help to improve the smart grid system performance and the security requirements, protocols, architectures and response of the system to ongoing attacks

The Project's Objectives

This project is designed to address various challenges in smart grid security by focusing on the following objectives:

  1. Develop a comprehensive framework for smart grid security analysis.
  2. Analyze the impact of different cyber-physical threats on the power grid at various levels.
  3. Investigate and test the impact of cyber-physical threats on actual and individual smart grid components.
  4. Develop a risk assessment procedure for cyber-physical threats on the proposed power distribution network (LV).

Meet the Team: Experts in Smart Grid Systems and Cyber-Physical Security

Our project is led by a talented team of researchers and professors with diverse backgrounds and expertise in various domains. Let's take a closer look at each member and their accomplishments.

  • Dr. Feras Alasali: Dr. Alasali is the Principal Investigator of the project and serves as the Director of the Renewable Energy Center at the Hashemite University in Jordan. As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, his research focuses on control models for distributed generation and LV networks, load forecasting, and power protection systems. With a Ph.D. in Electrical Power Engineering from the University of Reading, Dr. Alasali explores the application of emerging technologies such as machine learning and optimization methods in his work.
  • Dr. Anas AlMajali: As a Co-Investigator of the project, Dr. AlMajali is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Engineering at The Hashemite University. He has received his Ph.D. and MS degrees in computer engineering from the University of Southern California. Dr. AlMajali's main research interests include computer and computer networks security, smart grid security, and cyber-physical systems. He is also a senior IEEE member and currently serves as the secretary of the Jordan Joint Chapter of the IEEE Computer and Computational Intelligence Societies (CS/CIS) for 2022 and 2023.
  • Dr. Ali Hayajneh: Dr. Hayajneh, another Co-Investigator, is a faculty member in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Hashemite University in Zarqa, Jordan. He has earned his BSc and MSc degrees from Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) and his Ph.D. from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. Dr. Hayajneh's research interests cover a wide range of topics, such as drone-assisted wireless communications, public safety communication networks, backscatter communication, deep learning, and power harvesting. He has been supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering through two programs: Transfer Systems through Partnerships (TSP) and Distinguished International Associate (DIA).
  • Prof. Awni Itradat: Prof. Itradat serves as a Co-Investigator and is currently the Vice President at The Hashemite University. As a distinguished academic and researcher in the Department of Computer Engineering, his expertise includes computer architecture and networks, VLSI and ASIC design, information security, high-level synthesis, and reconfigurable hardware.