A cybersecurity tool built in Oak Ridge is heading to the commercial grid
The technology, Cyber Grid Guard, uses a blockchain software to instantly detect unusual grid activity, data manipulation and illicit changes to device settings.
GridForge Energy Solutions is licensing a grid security platform developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The California-based startup plans to deploy the technology with utilities, grid management companies, and energy project developers.
The patented technology, called Cyber Grid Guard, uses blockchain, the same tamper-resistant framework that underpins cryptocurrency. This technology enables protected data sharing among grid devices. It monitors voltage, frequency, breaker status, and power quality in real time, detecting unauthorized changes to device settings before they cascade into outages.
According to ORNL, the technology will automatically notify grid operators of unusual grid behavior or changes to settings. It also checks that every data packet is attached to a known network device and can trace the exact settings changed.
Researchers developed and tested the system in ORNL’s Grid Research Integration and Deployment Center (GRID-C), which combines advanced modeling with real hardware to simulate utility-scale conditions.
A solution for stranded grid capacity
“In the past, people didn’t know if they could trust this grid operating data,” said Raymond Borges Hink, an ORNL cybersecurity specialist who led the research. “This provides a new layer of validation and analysis to make the grid safer.”
GridForge CEO Worlasie Djameh sees the technology as a solution to a trust gap that she says leaves more than 100 gigawatts of flexible grid capacity underutilized.
“We believe bringing it to market is one of the highest-leverage steps we can take toward a more reliable, affordable, and dynamic grid,” she said.
One early application: speeding up the measurement and verification process for utility demand response programs, which reward customers for reducing energy use during peak periods. This process currently takes days and requires data sharing across multiple owners.
GridForge was also incubated through LabStart, a nonprofit that connects entrepreneurs with national laboratory technologies and provides funding and mentorship to bring those innovations to market.
📸 All photos courtesy of the Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL).
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