DigiCert to secure Australia's connected energy grid

DigiCert has been selected by the National Energy Public Key Infrastructure to provide digital certificate infrastructure for connected energy devices in Australia. The arrangement supports a national framework for secure communication between rooftop solar and battery systems and electricity distribution networks.

The deployment is designed to help devices and network operators verify each other's identities and secure the data and emergency control commands exchanged across the grid. It sits within the Common Smart Inverter Profile-Australia standard, which supports consistent device authentication across participating networks.

Australia's electricity system is becoming more reliant on devices installed in homes, including rooftop solar, home batteries, smart inverters and electric vehicle chargers. More than 4.2 million Australian homes have rooftop solar, making household energy systems a significant part of the broader grid.

The National Energy PKI was established as a not-for-profit to provide a national digital identity framework for the energy sector. Its first use case creates a common method for energy devices, manufacturers, distribution network operators, energy retailers and technology providers to authenticate and communicate securely.

Since launch, 44 solar and battery manufacturers have been onboarded to the framework, representing about 94% of the Australian market. The organisation aims to reduce complexity, avoid duplicated approaches across networks and close security gaps as more distributed devices connect to the electricity system.

Grid security

The growth of connected devices has raised concerns about how electricity networks identify authorised equipment and ensure instructions sent across the system have not been altered. The framework acts as a digital identity system for devices and organisations interacting with the grid.

Naomi Wynn, Chief Executive Officer of the National Energy PKI, said the system had been designed to match the pace of change in Australia's energy transition.

“Australia's energy transition has moved quickly, and the cybersecurity systems supporting it are now set up to keep pace,” Wynn said.

“With millions of devices connecting to our electricity grid, Australia must have a harmonised, sovereign and cyber secure approach. The National Energy PKI ensures devices can communicate securely across different distribution networks while reducing complexity, duplication and potential security gaps. By establishing a common national framework, we're helping build a more resilient and cyber secure energy system that can support the next generation of connected energy technologies.”

DigiCert was chosen after what the parties described as a rigorous selection process. It will provide the public key infrastructure used to issue and manage digital certificates for connected devices operating under the national framework.

National rollout

The project reflects a broader shift in electricity systems, with distributed assets in homes taking a more active role in balancing supply and demand. As those assets begin receiving instructions from networks and exchanging more operational data, trusted device identity has become a more prominent issue for operators and manufacturers.

Funding for the National Energy PKI comes from distribution network operators and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. The organisation has positioned the framework as a way to support national consistency and interoperability as Australia's energy system becomes more decentralised.

Daniel Sutherland, Area Vice President, ANZ at DigiCert, said the challenge for utilities had moved beyond securing individual systems.

“As critical infrastructure becomes more connected, protecting individual systems is no longer enough,” Sutherland said.

“Millions of devices are becoming active participants in the Australian electricity system. Each needs a trusted identity and a way to verify that instructions come from an authorised source and haven't been altered. Through our work with the National Energy PKI, DigiCert Device Trust Manager is helping lay a shared foundation that automates certificate renewals and can move to quantum-resistant cryptography without being rebuilt.”

The National Energy PKI said the framework is intended to strengthen cybersecurity and interoperability across Australia's distributed energy market while maintaining a consistent approach across networks and participants.