Securing Smart Grids with Blockchain: Enhancing Data Integrity and Automated Access Control

The growing integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in smart grids has increased their vulnerability to cyber threats. Traditional security measures often struggle to protect against advanced attacks that target the decentralized nature of smart grids. This paper proposes a blockchain-based security framework designed to enhance data integrity and automate access control within smart grids. The framework leverages a permissioned blockchain to ensure scalability and performance while employing smart contracts to enforce security policies in real-time. Key elements include an optimized consensus mechanism for low-latency processing and smart contracts for dynamic security enforcement. Simulation results show an average transaction processing time of 0.0457 seconds, demonstrating the framework's ability to handle a high volume of transactions efficiently. Additionally, the framework achieved a 100% success rate in device authorization and incident response tasks, with zero transaction failures. Gas usage and transaction costs were also maintained at minimal levels, ensuring resource efficiency. These findings indicate that the proposed blockchain-based approach provides a scalable, efficient, and resilient security solution tailored to the dynamic environment of smart grids.