Cybersecurity Advisory Team for State Solar (CATSS)

The Cybersecurity Advisory Team for State Solar (CATSS) is a project implemented by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) to mitigate cybersecurity risks and consequences in solar energy developments. With support from the United States Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, the project leverages state, federal and private-sector expertise on cybersecurity, grid and photovoltaic to identify model solar-cybersecurity programs and actions for states to take in partnership with utilities and the solar industry.

The rapid growth and importance of solar energy has elevated the critical need among state-level decision makers to evaluate the potential cybersecurity implications of solar deployment and work with federal and private-sector stakeholders to mitigate those risks. Newer two-way communication technologies and remote grid support are revolutionizing how the grid operates, but also result in a system more exposed to cyber vulnerabilities. NASEO and NARUC seek to proactively address cyber threats in all energy areas, including solar infrastructure.

The project uses a state-led advisory group and dialogue with solar and cybersecurity experts to advance education, tools and access to technical assistance. The 3-year project seeks to develop actionable solar cybersecurity strategies and roadmaps, as well as create stronger public-private partnerships and intra-and interstate cooperation for greater consumer and utility solar cybersecurity.

CATSS Products

• CATSS Literature Review: Resources for Solar Cybersecurity
  The literature review provides an overview of relevant reports and research on solar cybersecurity issues by category. The list is not exhaustive, and inclusion of resources does not indicate an endorsement of the National Association of State Energy Officials(NASEO), the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), or any of the CATSS Advisory or Control Group members.

• CATSS Project Roadmap
  This roadmap is a menu of options to further support state considerations of solar cybersecurity, developed by NASEO and NARUC based on extensive research and input from their members. As relevant, tools and resources touch on cybersecurity aspects of distributed energy resources (DER) in general. These options are outlined in three categories, which can happen simultaneously or in a different order. The list of options is not exhaustive, and inclusion of potential tools does not indicate an endorsement of NASEO, NARUC, or any of the CATSS Advisory or Control Group members. The document is not static, but rather a “living document.”.

• CATSS Toolkit 

  • Toolkit User Guide 

  • CATSS Tools

    • Photovoltaic Solar Engineering and System Overview

    • Standards Quick Guide

    • Assessing Solar Cybersecurity: Questions for States to Ask Electric Utilities

    • Hypothetical Solar Cyberattack Scenarios and Impacts

    • Decision Support Tool for Solar Energy Cybersecurity Policy and Regulation

    • Case Studies and Model Guidance for Establishing Solar Cybersecurity Working Groups

    • Cybersecurity and the Solar Workforce: Considerations for States

    • Cybersecurity Considerations for State Procurement of Solar Assets

    • Exercise Design Guidance for Solar Cybersecurity

    • State Legislative Options to Enhance Solar Cybersecurity

To learn more, contact Kirsten Verclas at kverclas@naseo.org. 

• Leadership

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  The CATSS project is supported by an Advisory Group comprised of 11 states and the District of Columbia as well as key partners representing the solar industry; trade assortations for investor-owned utilities, rural cooperatives, and municipal utilities; the federal government; and the national laboratories. These subject-matter experts provide guidance on the substance of CATSS and the resources that NASEO and NARUC will develop.

  A Control Group comprised of 6 states and territories and additional subject-matter experts will review all resources developed to ensure that NASEO and NARUC members outside of the immediate project members can benefit from the project regardless of their level of expertise on solar cybersecurity issues.

  Throughout the project, NASEO and NARUC are also engaging other external experts and working groups focused on this issue.

  

  Key Partners

  • American Public Power Association
  • Archer International
  • Edison Electric Institute
  • Electric Power Research Institute
  • Idaho National Lab
  • National Electrical Manufacturers Association
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • National Renewable Energy Lab
  • National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
  • PJM Interconnection
  • Protect our Power
  • Sandia National Lab
  • Schneider Electric
  • Solar Energy Industries Association
  • Sunrun
  • SunSpec
  • Tesla
  • UL
  • US Department of Energy: Solar Energy Technologies Office, Office of Cyber Security, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, and Office of Electricity

• Resources on Solar and Distributed Energy Resources Cybersecurity

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  • U.S Department of Energy Roadmap for Wind Cybsersecurity
  • EPRI Security Network for the Distributed Energy Resources Integration Network
  • NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, Release 4.0
  • NREL - An Overview of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Interconnection: Current Practices and Emerging Solutions
  • NREL - Guide to the Distributed Energy Resources Cybersecurity Framework
  • Cyber Security Primer for DER Vendors, Aggregators, and Grid Operators
  • Cyber Security Assessment of Distributed Energy Resources
  • Roadmap for Distributed Energy Resource Cyber Security
  • Roadmap for Photovoltaic Cybersecurity
  • CATTS Literature Review