Addressing Cybersecurity in Aggregator-Based Smart Grid Control Architecture

Aggregator-based control architectures have a vital role in modern smart grids, enabling efficient coordination of distributed energy resources (DERs), virtual power plants, microgrids, and demand-side management. These architectures require robust communication frameworks that ensure scalability, interoperability, and security. Traditional protocols, such as IEC 61850, provide a strong foundation for semantic data modeling and substation automation but struggle with the dynamic and distributed nature of modern power systems. To address this challenge, this research integrates International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61850 with the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP), making use of its decentralized communication capabilities. XMPP's network of interconnected servers ensures multiple redundant paths for message delivery, enhancing both resilience and security against cyber threats. This feature, combined with encryption mechanisms like Transport Layer Security (TLS) and authentication protocols such as Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL), creates a secure and adaptable communication subsystem. Experimental evaluations validate the proposed system's ability to mitigate threats such as denial-of-service (DoS) and man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks while maintaining minimal latency overhead. By bridging the gaps in interoperability and security, this integration offers a scalable and reliable solution for the evolving demands of smart grid infrastructures, ensuring their adaptability to future energy management scenarios.