Security by Design for Cyber and Physical Systems for Driving Energy Transformation through Decarbonisation, Decentralisation, and Digitalisation: CPSF and ERAB Initiatives in 2024

Rapid economic growth in Southeast Asia has significantly increased energy demand amidst a rapidly evolving global energy landscape, characterised by a growing reliance on distributed energy resources (DERs) and distributed energy systems (DESs). The Energy Resource Aggregation Business (ERAB) has emerged as a vital approach for managing and optimising these resources through open-standard interfaces and Internet-based architectures, underpinned by open, autonomous, distributed, and globally governed systems. However, most organisations today face considerable challenges due to the rapid proliferation of potentially vulnerable DERs and DESs. Consequently, ERAB systems – comprising DERs and DESs – must be designed to securely isolate network components while minimising impacts on the broader network, consumers, and business partners in the event of a breach. The authors, convened under the ERIA study group, conclude that in addition to the critical role of standardising hardware and software security protocols, the three-layer, six-element model of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Cyber/Physical Security Framework (CPSF) is highly applicable to ERAB security design. This model supports the configuration of DERs according to international standards within the global supply chain.