Kansas State researchers receive $2.8 million

Kansas State researchers have received a three-year, $2.8 million federal grant for a project to enhance utility operators’ awareness of and resilience to cyberattacks.

The award from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office was announced Thursday.

The Manhattan Mercury reports that as more solar and other distributed energy resources are added to the electrical grid, utility operators need new tools to provide stronger protection against physical and cyber risks.

This project is led by engineering professor Bala Natarajan.

The project is among the largest to date in the electrical and computer engineering department at the university. It is the first project from the solar office to be awarded to a university in Kansas.