Cybersecure and Interoperable Communication Architectures for Smart Grids

The rapid transformation of electric power systems toward highly distributed, digitalized, and intelligent infrastructures has made modern smart grids critically dependent on advanced communication architectures. Technologies such as distributed energy resources (DERs), microgrids, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), and grid-edge intelligence require continuous, reliable, and low-latency information exchange across heterogeneous cyber-physical components. However, current infrastructures are often fragmented and designed under assumptions of benign operation, leaving them vulnerable to unprecedented cybersecurity, interoperability, and resilience challenges. The convergence of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) further amplifies these risks, creating complex attack surfaces that can lead to cascading failures across transmission and distribution layers.This Research Topic aims to bring together researchers and practitioners to address the design, analysis, and deployment of secure, resilient, and interoperable communication frameworks for next-generation power systems. We focus on architectural and protocol-level solutions that enable trustworthy data exchange while supporting real-time grid operations and scalability.We welcome original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and visionary perspectives that explore theoretical foundations, experimental platforms, and standards-driven solutions. Emphasis is placed on the "co-design" approach—integrating communication, control, and cybersecurity into a unified, resilient framework.We encourage contributions including, but not limited to:- Secure Architectures: Frameworks for smart grids, microgrids, and DER coordination.- Threat Modeling: Cybersecurity attack models and defense mechanisms for grid communications.- Interoperability: Integration across heterogeneous standards (e.g., IEC 61850, DNP3, IEEE 2030, OpenADR).- Resilient Protocols: Fault tolerance and robustness against cyber-physical disturbances.- Grid-Edge & IoT: Secure and scalable communication for intelligent grid-edge devices.- Identity & Access: Trust management, authentication, and access control in distributed systems.- Data Security: Privacy-preserving exchange and secure state estimation.- AI & Analytics: AI-enabled monitoring, anomaly detection, and intrusion detection for smart grid networks.- Cyber-Physical Co-design: Integrated approaches to communication and control security.- Validation: Testbeds, simulation platforms, and real-world case studies. Topic editors: Mustafa Abdallah, Jin Wei-Kocsis Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80748/cybersecure-and-interoperable-communication-architectures-for-smart-grids