Systems, methods, and apparatus for electrical grid quantum key distribution

• Main Authors: BUSH, STEPHEN FRANCIS, HAHONY, MICHAEL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 18.12.2013
• Subjects: ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; INFORMATION OR COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES HAVING AN IMPACT ONOTHER TECHNOLOGY AREAS; SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORKOPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FORIMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION,DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHICCOMMUNICATION

Certain embodiments of the invention may include systems, methods, and apparatus for electrical grid quantum key distribution. According to an example embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for secure communications in an electrical power distribution network. Example embodiments of the method can include evaluating vulnerability of communications control nodes associated with the network; distributing quantum encryption keys to one or more of the communications control nodes based, at least in part, on the vulnerability of the communications control nodes; and communicating among distributed electronic devices associated with the network using the quantum encryption keys.