Almost four years ago we joined SunSpec Alliance to help secure the distributed energy grid. Since then wildfires, power outages, and oil sanctions have only increased the need for distributed energy. We started the SunSpec Blockchain Work Group in 2019 and the official specification was published in early 2021. Late last year we quietly created the Lumian Foundation as a spinout of SunSpec and this month Lumian is coming out of stealth to lead SunSpec’s new cybersecurity certification program. Our first work group meeting is May 31, 2022.
Lumian Foundation spun out of SunSpec as an independent 501c6 non-profit to create and govern a network that implements the SunSpec Blockchain specification (i.e.- track the security of cryptographic private keys through the supply chain). Everything about Lumian, from its unique bylaws to its highly fault tolerant network, is optimized to meet US security interests. The SunSpec cybersecurity certification program significantly expands the scope of Lumian. Instead of tracking just private key status Lumian will also track software versioning and a device’s comprehensive cybersecurity posture. In short, Lumian will be the decentralized data layer that holds trust information on every DER on the grid.
There is no time to spare. Every year 1,000,000 new DER devices are deployed in the US, but until a certification program is implemented none of these devices can be trusted as a reliable asset on the distributed grid. That means these devices- which include solar installations, storage facilities, and EV charging stations- cannot reliably perform many of the functions that make DERs valuable such as providing energy or improving the health of the grid. SunSpec, in partnership with Lumian Foundation, will be the first to offer this certification.
It takes a village to secure a distributed network. The more Lumian members host nodes the harder it is for adversaries to compromise the network (byzantine fault tolerant networks can tolerate up to one third of nodes acting maliciously- if there are 22 nodes the network can tolerate 7 nodes controlled by adversaries). If you have a vested interest in the distributed energy grid we invite you to join Lumian and ensure the success of the industry. If you are a SunSpec member you already have limited participation rights in Lumian (contact us to learn more).
SunSpec and its members are redefining how critical assets approach security and the creation of Lumian Foundation is the next chapter of this never-ending story.
