Systematic review of Smart Inverter Safety and Security Requirements
| Thesis type | Bachelor Thesis |
| Supervisor | Marius Biebel |
| Starting date | As soon as possible |
| Skills | LaTeX, Git, JSON, Any programming language |
| Language | English (preferred), German |
| Industry cooperation | not possible |
| Publish date |
Problem and context
In recent years, the deployment of smart inverters has increased significantly, driven by the growing adoption of renewable energy sources and the need for grid modernization. However, this rapid deployment has also raised concerns about the safety and security of these devices. While a single device itself is not considered critical, an attack on a whole product family or fleet of devices could very well have an impact on the stability of the power grid.
The thesis can focus on a number of sub-topics, including, but not limited to:
- Conducting a systematic survey on solar inverter products, their features or architectures.
- Analyzing safety and security certifications for smart inverters in different regions and markets.
- Conducting a systematic review of the security posture of manufacturers in the smart inverter space. (Are there existing security advisories, are there known vulnerabilities, is there a CERT, are there audits or assessments published, are the companies and products certified in some form? etc.)
Considering a wider scope, this topic could also form the basis for a master’s thesis.
Thesis proposals for adjacent topics are welcome. Get in touch if you have further questions.
Goals
The goal of such a thesis could be to provide a systematic overview of safety and security aspects in the market for smart inverters and to provide a dataset on the safety landscape of these devices.