A Survey on Smart Grid Cyber-Physical System Testbeds

TLDR

Smart grid cyber‑physical system testbeds are increasingly important for evaluating new concepts and vulnerabilities, requiring realistic, scalable, interdisciplinary platforms beyond simulation. This survey aims to present a taxonomy and guidelines for developing smart grid testbeds, identifying key features and design decisions. The authors construct a four‑step taxonomy—domains, research goals, platforms, and communication infrastructure—and evaluate existing testbeds accordingly. The paper concludes by outlining future trends and developments in cyber‑physical smart grid testbed research.

Abstract

An increasing interest is emerging on the development of smart grid cyber-physical system testbeds. As new communication and information technologies emerge, innovative cyber-physical system testbeds need to leverage realistic and scalable platforms. Indeed, the interdisciplinary structure of the smart grid concept compels heterogeneous testbeds with different capabilities. There is a significant need to evaluate new concepts and vulnerabilities as opposed to counting on solely simulation studies especially using hardware-in-the-loop test platforms. In this paper, we present a comprehensive survey on cyber-physical smart grid testbeds aiming to provide a taxonomy and insightful guidelines for the development as well as to identify the key features and design decisions while developing future smart grid testbeds. First, this survey provides a four step taxonomy based on smart grid domains, research goals, test platforms, and communication infrastructure. Then, we introduce an overview with a detailed discussion and an evaluation on existing testbeds from the literature. Finally, we conclude this paper with a look on future trends and developments in cyber-physical smart grid testbed research.