For grid planners and operators working in today’s digital age, there are few words more frightening than cyberattack.

In the energy sector, breaches by bad actors can cause infrastructure to shut down and quickly disrupt daily life, which occurred during the infamous cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline in May 2021 that cut off half of the gasoline and jet fuel supply to the east coast. This caused a massive fuel shortage and a mad dash for gasoline, resulting in long lines, higher prices and chaos that triggered government intervention.

Done right, distributed energy resources (DERs) such as rooftop solar and energy storage can be part of the solution. These technologies are helping to modernize and decentralize the U.S. power grid. But as a new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) report emphasizes, cybersecurity must be built into DERs from the start — and remain top of mind throughout their deployment — in order to build the most reliable, resilient and secure grid possible.