New research from the University of Georgia suggests a novel approach to safeguarding one possible target of a cyberattack – the nation's solar farms. In a study published in IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, a team in UGA's College of Engineering introduced a sensor system that monitors a key electrical component of solar farms for signs of cyber-intrusion in real time. "A growing concern is that hackers may exploit the converters that connect solar farms with the power grid," said WenZhan Song, the Georgia Power Mickey A. Brown Professor in Engineering and the study's lead investigator. "In modern grid-connected solar farms, power electronics converters can be remotely controlled, but this internet connection also expands the potential for cyberattacks." In general, power electronics use semiconductor switching devices to control and convert electrical power flow from one form to another. This technology has revolutionized modern life by streamlining manufacturing processes, increasing product efficiencies and improving the delivery of reliable power from utilities.

Solar power and advanced computing are a key cleantech intersection point. From renewables return on investment optimization to optimal rooftop commercial solar deployment, machine learning is helping us get more efficient and effective in our global transformation. Researchers in the US and China are using machine learning to discover new solar panel chemistries to increase the base efficiency and economic effectiveness of solar panels. They are trialing hundreds or thousands of combinations in virtual test beds before bringing them into the physical world, a key element of the machine-to-reality value proposition. Let's start in the United States with Jinxin Li, Basudev Pradhan, Surya Gaur, and Jayan Thomas from the sun-drenched campus of the University of Central Florida.

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) will use Alta Devices' "highly efficient, flexible, and light-weight" solar technology to help power the "breakthrough" Hybrid Tiger UAV. The Hybrid Tiger is a project designed to create a Group-2 UAV that will stay aloft for at least three and a half days, and Alta Devices says that technologies developed for the project will be applicable to other unmanned vehicles. "Widespread use of small UAVs in both the military and industry has been limited to-date by endurance. The Hybrid Tiger will demonstrate that very long endurance flights, with sophisticated telemetry and capabilities, can be achieved with the inclusion of solar arrays," says Jian Ding, Alta Devices CEO. "This project will open the door for many new solar powered UAV applications, and we look forward to achieving next generation breakthroughs via this cooperative effort."