Reliability assurance of cyber-physical power systems

Modern power grids with their physical current-carrying components and the embedded computer, communication and control networks are fast emerging as one of the largest and most complex cyber-physical systems. The addition of more sensing, communication, variable power sources and storage under the renewable energy thrust and smart grid initiative will add even higher orders of dimensionality and complexity. This order of complexity, intended to achieve higher levels of efficiency, flexibility and fault tolerance, can also be a source of more failures of complex nature that can actually degrade reliability. Yet, almost the entire literature on power system reliability evaluation is concerned only with the failures of the current-carrying part of the power grid. The literature on the reliability of power systems examining the overlaid cyber components is scant and that of their mutual interdependence is almost non-existent. The objective of this paper is to explore the topic of the reliability assurance of cyber-physical systems and possibly stimulate more research in this area.