Smart Grid and Renewable Energy Security Challenges: A Review

Today, with the diversity of electric power sources and the huge size of electrical power networks, and because of the harmful waste from non-renewable energy sources, the trend of the current world has led to the use of smart energy networks and devices, especially smart meters, which facilitate the management and make it easy to control the energy network efficiently, reliably, and safely. The integration and use of renewable energy resources in the smart grid, such as wind, sunlight, and others, has led to the mitigation of the effects of harmful waste on the environment, but these networks are not free of many risks and challenges, especially cyber-attacks and their effects on these networks, where strict preventive measures require the prevention of these attacks. One of them, the use of early detection systems, protection, and security measures, requires the integration of renewable energy sources with the smart grid to modify the infrastructure to ensure secure and efficient management of energy. The use of modern communication technologies and protocols improves the transmission of energy. One of the most important issues facing the modern energy economy is the development and implementation of a smart grid for energy supply. Smart grid uses two-way digital technology to transfer electricity from producers to consumers and enables consumers to control factory machinery and household appliances to save energy while lowering costs, boosting reliability and promoting transparency. To address supply security, global warming, and energy independence, numerous countries are endorsing this contemporary electrical infrastructure, with the smart grid being a vital infrastructure. These large and complex systems are exposed to many types of cyber-attacks In this paper provides a glimpse of the attacks on smart networks and the proposed solutions to reduce these attacks and enhance the security of smart networks. A summary of SCADA networks in renewable energy sources, their integration with smart grids, and the attacks they are exposed to.