Organisation highlights energy security concerns

Research carried out by the Wi-SUN Alliance suggests that energy security is the “most exciting” area of smart utility development.

The research took the form of a survey conducted amongst senior professionals at US utility companies, as well as interviews conducted at industry event Distributech 2023. According to a statement, more than 250 respondents were asked about potential changes to the utility industry, including developments in relation to IoT.

Discussing the findings, a spokesperson for the organisation said: “Energy security is seen as ‘very exciting’ for 79 per cent of respondents, more so than the development of smart buildings and infrastructure [75 per cent], weather and climate [73 per cent] and disaster management [69 per cent]. This is at a time when concerns are high among policy makers and industry leaders because of major economic and geopolitical turmoil putting energy supplies at risk.”

The spokesperson continued: “The energy sector is also facing a growing number of cyberattacks, with recent [incidents] aimed at ageing SCADA systems. [An] increasingly interconnected energy infrastructure is opening up opportunities for attackers to access systems and disrupt operations.”