Sungrow Boosts US Solar Security with Merit SI Partnership

Sungrow Boosts US Solar Security with Merit SI Partnership

At a glance

• Sungrow, the global inverter and energy storage supplier, has partnered with Merit SI on cybersecurity for utility-scale projects in North America.
• The deal aims to make renewable plants harder to attack as threats to the energy sector grow.
• Merit SI brings power plant control and secure network expertise.
• The goal is to keep solar and storage systems reliable and trustworthy.
• Renewable operators are under pressure to secure systems that are now heavily networked.

What the two companies agreed

Sungrow has partnered with Houston-based Merit SI to strengthen cybersecurity at renewable energy plants in North America. The companies combine Merit’s energy management system (EMS), SCADA and network expertise with Sungrow’s integrated battery energy storage systems. Merit has worked with Sungrow before, on grid-integration projects.

According to the International Energy Agency, renewable energy is growing at a record pace worldwide. More connected inverters and controllers also mean more ways in for attackers. The partnership is meant to give developers and owners a more secure package from the start.

Why grid assets need it

Attacks on the grid are getting more sophisticated. A compromised inverter fleet could disrupt power output. So could a hijacked plant controller, and the effects of an attack on grid-connected generation can spread well beyond the site that was breached, to the utilities and customers that depend on it. Security has to be designed in.

Sungrow Americas has said the partnership gives it a fuller security program and should reassure customers about the safety of their investments.

The work covers security controls built for solar and storage sites, with safeguards in each layer of the system and defenses meant to prevent breaches as well as respond to them.

Merit SI’s role

Merit SI builds power plant controllers and SCADA systems, along with the communications networks that tie a plant together. That puts it close to the parts of a plant that grid operators and regulators care most about.

Merit SI says security in renewables needs a shared commitment from equipment makers and integrators. Its approach relies on testing and continuous monitoring. Real-time threat analysis is part of it too.

The deal also reflects a push for secure-by-design development, where security is built in from early design and kept through the project lifecycle.

What it means for developers

For developers of utility-scale solar and storage, the partnership offers one route to a secure package from a single vendor team. As attacks on energy infrastructure become more targeted, buyers are asking harder questions about inverter and controller security.

Other suppliers will face the same questions. Developers can ask any vendor which standards it follows, such as NERC CIP and NIST 800-53, how firmware updates are signed and who monitors plant networks after commissioning.

John King, CISSP, PMP, CISM

John King currently works in the greater Los Angeles area as a ISSO (Information Systems Security Officer). John has a passion for learning and developing his cyber security skills through education, hands on work, and studying for IT certifications.