21st Century will be marked by Cybersecurity Issues.

The 21st century will be marked by cybersecurity issues, and how the country addresses those problems could make or break the fabric of our society, Obama and panelists from U.S. companies who took part in the summit said.

President Barack Obama signed an executive order at a Stanford University summit encouraging the private sector to share cybersecurity threat information with other companies and the U.S. government.

Since the first computer virus in the 1980s, the world has been in a cyber arms race, Obama said. The need to keep up with — and surpass — the threats posed by attackers is constantly evolving, he added.

“It is one of the great paradoxes of our time that the very technologies that empower us can also be used to undermine us,” he said.

The cyber threats “pose one of the most serious economic challenges that we face,” he added.

The nation’s power grids and critical financial, health and air traffic control systems are all run on systems connected to the Internet and create levels of vulnerability never seen before, Obama said.

The executive order advises companies to create information sharing and analysis organizations or “hubs” based on regions, affinities or in response to a particular threat. Companies would share information with each other and with the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center about potential cyber threats.

The order encourages companies to use the National Institute of Standards and Technology cyber security framework, which was approved by Obama through an executive order in February 2013. The framework helps businesses identify their security needs, manage risks and create solutions.

Under the order, the information sharing would be voluntary and includes more government disclosure of classified threat information so that private network operators can more easily protect their systems.

Renewal Energy Certificate Mechanism Launched in India

On 18^th Nov 2010, “Renewal Energy Certificate Mechanism” was launched in India. This will provide a framework and platform for generators using renewal fuels and have the stimulants to produce more renewable energy as well as to explore more renewable energy sources. India is one of the few countries of the world having such mechanism.

Government and agencies all over the world are encouraging environment-friendly activities in order to save the earth from resources imbalances. Electricity generation from sources which are naturally renewable i.e. which get replenished in natural ways, is one of them. However, cost of such generation are high and hence needs incentives to be commercially viable.

Until now in India, renewable energy (RE) generators were having government’s preferential tariff as the only incentive to produce renewable energy. With the availability of “Renewable Energy Certificate Mechanism”, RE generators will now have one more incentive to choose. Now, RE generators would found it commercial viable to sell their energy at market discovered rate, as the attribute of their sell now be saleable separately, independent to physical sell. Due to this , RE generator will be able to increase their sell volumes.

Energy generated by using fuel sourced from renewable sources like wind, solar, hydro etc has the distinguished attribute in the form of reduced or no carbon emission as well as savings in the scarce natural resources like fossil fuels. Renewal Energy Certificates convert these attributes in saleable object Every MWh generated and injected in to the grid by a RE generator will be entitled get one REC. These RECs can be traded and sold on power exchanges.

Designated central agency, National Load Despatch Center (NLDC), will maintain a nationwide REC registry and is authorized to issue the RECs. REC registry is completely online system with web based interfaces. It can be accessed through Internet from anywhere and at anytime.

 

Microsoft’s Power & Utilities Forum

First it happened to telecom sector then to banking industries and now going to happen to power sector. IT companies worldwide are invading (in positive spirit) power sector now. Smart Grid is the buzzword, every IT multinational has started to fit-in their products or develop new products in the arena of smartgrid. Surprisingly,  Microsoft known to be a pure software company with products for common user of IT is also in bandwagon. On 12^th Nov 2010, Microsoft organized a works shop on Smart Energy under Power & Utilities Forum at Delhi. I want to share my thoughts as here:-

1. A panel discussions on  issues in smart grid design, architecture, standards, interoperability and security took place on “ICT Infrastructure for Smart Energy” having perfect mix of panelist like System Operator – CEO, POSOCO, Policy maker – Director distribution, MOP, DISCOM – GM, NDPL and Academician. Two major issues come out  as deterrents to Smart Grid in India.  One is the communication and other is the interoperability. CEO, POSOSCO gave the example difficulty faced in selection of PMU locations  where availability/non availability of communication channel became the deciding factor.
2. Larry Cochrane of Microsoft presented Microsoft’s “Smart Energy Reference Architecture” (SERA) (http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/c/2/0c2f64b1-241d-4433-9665-5f802e7510d6/microsoft%20smart%20energy%20reference%20architecture.pdf). This I feel is a architecture for fitting Microsoft’s products in smart grid technology. On my question that how products from other vendors, Larry mentioned that as of now smart energy ecosystem germinates with Microsoft technology stacks however SERA is also valid for mix technologies.

In my personal view, Microsoft technologies and products are very user friendly and easy to use. Learning curve is low, availability of abundant material  on Internet make learning  further easy.