Investing in Cyber Defense: A Value-Focused Analysis of Investment Decisions for Microgrids

Abstract

To mitigate disruptions to commercial power grids, and to achieve operational efficiencies by managing energy use, many organizations are fielding smaller, local, self-contained microgrids. The computer control systems that operate the microgrids create new vulnerabilities to a rapidly-escalating array of cyber attacks. This creates a tension between the need to improve energy assurance and efficiency through microgrids, and the need to protect against cyber attacks that can disrupt and damage the organization’s energy systems. Through a series of interviews with subject matter experts and end-users, this exploratory study surfaces the decision-makers’ important values in this decision space and develops a network of those values to guide decision-makers to make better decisions in balancing these competing needs.