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As I have written in previous posts (here and here), the recent rapid growth of residential solar and energy storage unlocks exciting opportunities, including virtual power plants.  But as the FBI recently reminded us, this growth also comes with risks.

Another stark reminder was provided courtesy of a home automation enthusiast near London. While attempting to automate their residential energy storage, Ryan Castellucci unintentionally also gained access to a 200MW virtual power plant.

It would be easy to blame the energy company or the software provider for the inadequate security.  The reality, however, is far more frightening:  The parties involved do not appear to have been doing anything out of the ordinary with regard to cybersecurity.  The (insufficient) level of security protecting access to these resources is commonly in use, despite its known vulnerabilities.  

And this is where the growth of residential energy generation and storage becomes an aggravating factor.  The erstwhile “hacker” in this case not only gained access to a large amount of confidential customer data (which is bad enough), but they also gained control of 200MW of actual grid-connected energy storage assets.

This time it was embarrassing and perhaps even a little amusing.  Next time could be something far more serious–and far more sinister.

 We can only hope that the industry takes note and takes action before it is too late.

It took $70 and 24 hours for Ryan Castellucci to gain access to 200 MW of capacity