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Towards Privacy Protection in Smart Grid

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Abstract

The smart grid is an electronically controlled electrical grid that connects power generation, transmission, distribution, and consumers using information communication technologies. One of the key characteristics of the smart grid is its support for bi-directional information flow between the consumer of electricity and the utility provider. This two-way interaction allows electricity to be generated in real-time based on consumers’ demands and power requests. As a result, consumer privacy becomes an important concern when collecting energy usage data with the deployment and adoption of smart grid technologies. To protect such sensitive information it is imperative that privacy protection mechanisms be used to protect the privacy of smart grid users. We present an analysis of recently proposed smart grid privacy solutions and identify their strengths and weaknesses in terms of their implementation complexity, efficiency, robustness, and simplicity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC, USA

    Sherali Zeadally

  2. Department of Computer Science, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Al-Sakib Khan Pathan

  3. University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain

    Cristina Alcaraz & Mohamad Badra

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  1. Sherali Zeadally
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  2. Al-Sakib Khan Pathan
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  3. Cristina Alcaraz
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  4. Mohamad Badra
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Correspondence to Sherali Zeadally.

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Zeadally, S., Pathan, AS.K., Alcaraz, C. et al. Towards Privacy Protection in Smart Grid. Wireless Pers Commun 73, 23–50 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-012-0939-1

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