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1) The state of USA cybersecurity protection of grid. I haven’t managed to read the entire document yet, but what I’ve read is very interesting. Explains vulnerability of electrical grid, why/how individual utilities must become secure and not depend on the major grid to be a firewall.
(click on photos to enlarge)
Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure
Pg. 6/55 – Cyberattack on grid would result in longer outages, greater scope of outage (than outages due to storms) due to complexity of grid and the difficulty in identifying the problem and making the repairs.
Pg. 12/55 – New technology that allows 2 way-flow of info. within the grid (e.g. smeters) increases vulnerability.
(Experts have warned that smeters are a very vulnerable entry point for attack or hack.) Connection to the internet increases access by external agents.
Pg. 13/55 – Each utility must make itself cyber-secure.
(What has BC Hydro or FortisBC done to protect themselves and their customers? We should be demanding a full investigation into this by an independent agency.)
https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2018/05/f51/EO13800%20electricity%20subsector%20report.pdf
[Executive Order EO 13800 – https://www.dhs.gov/executive-order-strengthening-cybersecurity-federal-networks-and-critical-infrastructure
& https://www.state.gov/s/cyberissues/eo13800/ &
https://csrc.nist.gov/Topics/Laws-and-Regulations/executive-documents/EO-13800]
2) In Australia, and most likely elsewhere, utilities will require that the power be on at the home, even if people are away for prolonged periods, so that the smeter is powered. The utility says that the homeowner does not pay for the power, yet it seems they do — “only” 2.4% of the annual bill. I would resent paying for a smeter when my rates already include the cost for a manual meter reading of my analog.
No switching off smart power meters
“However an Aurora Energy spokesperson said advanced or smart meters needed power to continuously measure electricity use at the property, then send the data to Aurora for billing…
Mr Proud suspected that smart meters might cost more than standard meters, but the Aurora spokesperson said this was not the case.
“Metering costs made up 2.4 per cent of a bill for a typical regulated electricity customer in 2017-18. They are averaged per meter across regulated customers. Therefore, a typical residential customer with an advanced meter does not pay any more than a neighbour with a basic meter.””
https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/5446029/no-switching-off-smart-power-meters/
3) A Spokane letter-writer uses Ontario’s Hydro One experience with smeters to say “smeters” are not so smart.
Smart meters not so smart
“Avista wants to install smart meters (they also want to merge with HydroOne). HydroOne installed smart meters in Ontario under a governmental mandate at the cost of $2 billion. So far HydroOne has removed 36,000 meters because they didn’t work. They removed 5,400 meters due to risk of fire. Their customers were told these meters would be cost-saving. Yet the company received over 9,700 complaints in one year from overbilling or malfunctioning meters, etc.”
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jun/04/smart-meters-not-so-smart/
[https://www.hydroone.com/about/corporate-information/subsidiaries/avista & (videos)]
4) In Australia, a poll shows that many people do not trust power companies at all, due, in part to the $mart grid.
Power companies less trusted by consumers than banks, telcos
“A deep and widespread lack of consumer faith in Australia’s electricity industry is creating a major barrier to the uptake of smart energy technology, a new study has revealed.
A survey commissioned by global smart meter maker Landis+Gyr, and conducted by Essential Research, found that more than two-thirds of consumers had either ‘no trust’, or ‘not much trust’ in power companies.”
https://onestepoffthegrid.com.au/power-companies-less-trusted-consumers-banks-telcos/
Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it…….
~ Upton Sinclair
www.facebook.com/Coalitiontostopsmartmeters