PTI Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines - Metropolitan ...

Key Questions
...in Addressing Energy Efficiency and Distributed Generation
1. What energy efficiency technologies does the Energy Manager (or equivalent expert) believe
are the best suited for the jurisdiction?
2. What policies are in place to promote end-use energy efficiency?
3. What energy efficiency policies are not in place now, but would make a good fit to help with
energy assurance efforts?
4. What energy efficiency programs have the local utilities implemented recently?
5. Has anyone exhaustively identified existing local energy efficiency programs? If so, who did it,
when, and where is the list?
6. Is there a local government in the region with extensive energy efficiency experience that will
share lessons learned?
7. What public and private organizations are available to help with energy efficiency research?
8. What State and Federal agencies can help with local energy efficiency efforts?
2.7 Cyber Security and Energy Assurance Planning
Cyber security is the protection of all things pertaining to the Internet, from networks themselves to the information
stored in computer databases and other applications, to devices that control equipment operations via network
connections. Vulnerabilities are present in nearly every aspect of the modern community energy infrastructure.
Effective local government EAPs will investigate and address these vulnerabilities. Typically, when the public and
local government officials consider disruptions to energy supply and related critical services, they attribute the losses
to events such as storm damage, flooding, fires, and energy demand that outstrips available supplies. This document
provides a brief overview of why cyber security should also be considered when assessing energy infrastructure
vulnerabilities.
While often dismissed as an issue only for information technology departments and Internet-focused industries,
cyber security is an area of increasing concern for energy assurance planners. Variables that may influence the
cyber security aspects of a local EAP include the relationship between an energy service provider and the local
government, the presence of critical infrastructure in the community, the size of the community, and the amount
of funds available to the local government to provide more secure information. The degree to which a large city
needs to investigate and plan for cyber security threats is likely to be significantly different than what is needed
or affordable for a small rural community. As systems become increasingly interconnected and interdependent,
however, the level of security necessary for all communities is increasingly equalized.
Several key areas that should be investigated and addressed in a local EAP include direct threats to electricity
generation routing/transmission and distribution; ancillary threats to personal or proprietary information; and
communication. Cyber security as an aspect of energy assurance planning is probed in greater detail in a recent
report by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), Smart Grid & Cyber Security for Energy
Assurance: Planning Elements for Consideration in States’ Energy Assurance Plans, December 2010. 20
20
http://naseo.org/energyassurance/Smart_Grid_and_Cyber_Security_for_Energy_Assurance-NASEO_December_2010.pdf.
26 | 2 – Issues to Consider When Developing a Local Energy Assurance Plan