Wind Farm Access Control via Certification Body

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current access authorization methods for wind energy installations and wind farms are vulnerable to human error and sabotage, as users with knowledge of access data can inadvertently or intentionally shut down multiple wind farms, leading to potential energy network failures.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a certification body that authenticates users and issues digital certificates for control access, ensuring that only authorized users can perform critical operations, with access types and validity periods managed centrally to prevent network instability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If users are granted control access to wind farms using traditional authentication methods, then operational flexibility and ease of access are improved, but security vulnerabilities increase allowing unauthorized shutdowns and network failures

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccess controlVSAvoidsystem security
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a certification body as an intermediary between users and wind farms. This certification body issues digital certificates that authenticate user identities and authorize control accesses. The certification body acts as a trusted mediator that verifies user credentials and manages access rights, preventing direct unauthorized access to wind farms while maintaining operational flexibility for legitimate users.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If digital certificates are implemented for user authentication, then system security is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional authentication infrastructure

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccess authorizationVSAvoidauthentication system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the authentication functionality from the wind farm control systems and places it in a separate certification body. The certification body handles all authentication operations by issuing and managing digital certificates, while wind farms only need to verify these certificates. This separation reduces the complexity burden on individual wind farm systems while maintaining strong security through centralized authentication management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3243310B1Method of authorization for control access to wind power installations, and also interface for wind power installations and certification centre
Publication Date: 2020.01.08 WOBBEN PROPERTIES GMBH
  • EP3243310B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3243310B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3243310B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for authorizing a user (18) for control access to at least one wind power installation (100) or at least one wind farm. In this case, a user (18) is first of all authenticated by a certification centre (10) and a type of control access is accepted from the authenticated user (18) by the certification centre (10). An electronic certificate (28) is then produced using the certification centre (10) on the basis of the accepted type of control access and/or stored access rights of the authenticated user (18). Authentication with the certificate (28) then takes place at the wind power installation (100) or the wind farm for the purpose of performing control access. In addition, the invention relates to a system for carrying out the method and also to an interface for a wind power installation or for a wind farm and to a certification centre.