This thesis investigates the risks associated with connected inverters in solar power installations, focusing on properties owned by Vasakronan, a real estate company with 166 properties, that has invested in solar panel installations on a majority of its buildings. The thesis explores the potential security measures related to both energy and information. Energy security encompasses multiple aspects of ensuring a reliable supply of energy within an infrastructure, necessitating tools for balancing energy production and usage and minimizing dependence on single resources. Robust information security requires the preservation of confidentiality, integrity and availability, which is considered given the organization, cloud and communication security. Interviews were conducted with representatives from Vasakronan’s suppliers of inverters, IT service provider, employees and external field experts. One property served as a case study to understand the internal real estate network structure and data on energy consumption, production and prices was collected. The risk of security breaches was assessed as the sum of factors influencing the likelihood of intrusion, as well as the consequences of such breach. Interviews with employees and IT service providers revealed Vasakronan’s awareness of information security and continuous efforts to enhance it. Interviews with inverter suppliers show varying levels of commitment to information security, with a general recognition of its importance but inconsistent knowledge of mitigation strategies. Many suppliers are cautious about production location, expressing skepticism about Chinese intelligence activities. However, the current risk for Vasakronan and the Swedish power grid is considered low, though the increasing use of solar panels may heighten this risk in the future. Specific threats such as extortion attempts, are identified as more probable, potentially resulting in production interruptions and increased energy costs. The importance of risk diversification through security measures and supplier diversification is concluded from the interviews with field experts. Data analysis indicates that security breaches primarily entail economic losses for Vasakronan, while the societal consequences are seen as potentially serious but unlikely in the short term. The thesis contributes to understanding the risks and the necessity of security measures in solar power installations through an analysis of potential energy and economic consequences of data breaches.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-531418 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Axelsson, Ebba, Tonell, Vera |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Byggteknik och byggd miljö |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | UPTEC STS, 1650-8319 ; 24024 |
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