The Control Room of the Future

If it were not for the futuristic blue glow of light, you would not suspect anything special is happening in this room – just some computer screens along a wall. But nothing could be further from the truth. This is the Control Room of the Future (CRoF) technology centre, an innovation hub developed by Alex Stefanov for future power grid technologies. It allows researchers to simulate how disruptions like lightning strikes or cyber-attacks affect the Dutch power grid. Blackouts are nightmares for the energy sector, desperately seeking ways to keep the heavily loaded power system stable and secure. In the CRoF, researchers work on detecting, preventing, and mitigating cyberattacks using AI and computational intelligence techniques and building cyber-physical system resiliency. An important research pillar is privacy in smart grids, led by Zekeriya Erkin. His team is investigating how energy system management can use the data from smart meters in people’s homes without violating their privacy. The future will tell... or rather, it’s getting a little closer here.