DigiCert has been selected by Australia’s National Energy Public Key Infrastructure (NEPKI) to provide digital certificate infrastructure for secure communications between rooftop solar systems, batteries and electricity distribution networks. The deployment uses public key infrastructure (PKI) to authenticate connected devices and network operators, helping protect the data and control commands exchanged across the electricity system. The initiative addresses a growing cybersecurity challenge as millions of Australian households add smart inverters, home batteries and other grid-connected equipment that can influence how electricity is distributed and managed.
DigiCert Brings Device Identity Infrastructure to Australia’s Smart Energy Grid
Australia’s energy transition is turning household equipment into an increasingly important part of electricity infrastructure. Rooftop solar installations, home batteries, smart inverters and electric vehicle chargers are no longer simply devices operating behind a meter. As they connect with electricity distribution networks, they can exchange operational data and, in some cases, receive commands that affect how energy is supplied or managed.
That connectivity creates a cybersecurity requirement: grid operators need confidence that a device communicating with their network is legitimate, and connected devices need to verify that instructions come from an authorized source.
DigiCert has been selected by the National Energy Public Key Infrastructure (NEPKI) to provide the digital certificate infrastructure supporting this trust framework. The initial deployment is designed to secure communications between rooftop solar and battery systems and electricity distribution networks across Australia.
The project uses public key infrastructure (PKI), a system that relies on digital certificates and cryptographic keys to establish and verify identities. In this context, certificates can help participating devices and network operators authenticate one another and protect information and emergency control commands from unauthorized access or tampering.
A Common Identity Framework for Connected Energy Devices
NEPKI was established as a not-for-profit organization to provide a consistent national framework for digital identity across Australia’s energy sector. Its first use case supports secure communications under the Common Smart Inverter Profile-Australia (CSIP-AUS) standard.
The framework is intended to connect a broad ecosystem that includes energy device manufacturers, distribution network operators, retailers and technology providers. A common approach to device authentication could reduce the need for separate identity arrangements across individual networks and make it easier for manufacturers to support multiple participating operators.
According to NEPKI, 44 solar and battery manufacturers have been onboarded since launch, representing approximately 94% of the Australian market. The organization says the framework is designed to reduce complexity, duplication and potential security gaps as more devices become connected to the grid.
The scale of the installed base makes that coordination important. More than 4.2 million Australian homes have rooftop solar, while adoption of home batteries and other connected energy technologies is increasing. Each additional connected device expands the number of endpoints that need to be authenticated, monitored and maintained.
PKI and Certificate Management at Grid Scale
The selected platform is DigiCert Device Trust Manager, part of the company’s DigiCert ONE platform. According to DigiCert, it will support certificate lifecycle management, including automated renewals, for devices participating in the NEPKI framework. Automating that process matters because certificates have finite validity periods and must be renewed or revoked as devices are added, replaced or compromised.
The national framework is not simply a certificate provider for individual solar systems. NEPKI coordinates the governance and procurement of a shared PKI service, including onboarding organizations and issuing certificates to approved CSIP-AUS client implementations. Its stated objective is to let recognized device manufacturers and participating distribution network operators establish trusted communications through a common system.
CSIP-AUS is based on the IEEE 2030.5 communications protocol and is designed to support secure, interoperable communications between distributed energy resources and utility networks. These connections can enable network operators to monitor and manage connected resources, including solar exports and other grid services.
Why Smart Inverter Security Matters
Smart inverters are increasingly important to managing electricity systems with high levels of distributed generation. They allow rooftop solar and battery installations to communicate with network operators, supporting functions such as export management and emergency controls.
Those capabilities introduce security risks if devices or communications cannot be reliably authenticated. A compromised device could potentially send misleading information or respond to unauthorized instructions. Weak identity controls could also allow an attacker to impersonate a legitimate device or network service.
The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) addressed these risks in its December 2024 report, Cybersecurity for Smart Inverters: Guidelines for Residential and Light Commercial Solar Energy Systems. The guidance examines known vulnerabilities and cybersecurity capabilities in residential and small-business inverters, offering recommendations for manufacturers and other stakeholders.
DigiCert’s role is focused on the identity and certificate layer of this broader security challenge. PKI can establish whether a device or service is using a trusted digital identity and help protect communications against impersonation and tampering. It does not, by itself, secure every component of an inverter, its firmware, its cloud connection or the wider electricity network. Device security also requires software updates, access controls, vulnerability management and appropriate network protections.
Australia’s Move Toward National Interoperability
The NEPKI initiative is part of a broader effort to make distributed energy resources easier to connect and manage across different electricity networks. Historically, different network operators could have separate processes for authenticating devices and managing secure communications. A national framework aims to reduce that fragmentation.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) describes the NEPKI project as a way to support authentication and encryption for communications with CSIP-AUS-compliant distributed energy resources. Its objectives include reducing the risk of compromised or malicious devices interacting with the grid, lowering onboarding complexity for manufacturers and supporting a national PKI framework that could eventually cover other energy-sector use cases.
The rollout is also linked to changing technical and regulatory requirements. The Clean Energy Council says CSIP-AUS v1.2, aligned with the SA TS 5573:2025 test standard, is replacing the earlier version for relevant network connections. It identifies certification, product listing and NEPKI onboarding as steps for participating products and organizations.
This gives the DigiCert deployment significance beyond an individual vendor contract. A shared certificate infrastructure can help manufacturers and network operators establish consistent trust relationships as connected energy devices become more common.
Quantum Readiness and the Next Phase
DigiCert says Device Trust Manager is designed to support a future transition to quantum-resistant cryptography without requiring the certificate infrastructure to be rebuilt. That is a forward-looking platform capability, not an indication that the Australian energy deployment is already using post-quantum cryptographic algorithms.
The distinction matters because critical infrastructure systems often have long operating lifecycles. A transition to new cryptographic standards will require coordination among device manufacturers, network operators, software providers and infrastructure owners. The ability to manage certificate lifecycles and adapt cryptographic configurations could become increasingly important as those requirements evolve.
The immediate test for the NEPKI-DigiCert deployment will be operational: whether it can support reliable onboarding, authentication, certificate renewal and secure communications across a large and diverse device ecosystem. The 44 manufacturers already onboarded by NEPKI, representing approximately 94% of the Australian market according to the organization, provide a substantial foundation for that effort.
As distributed energy resources become more active participants in electricity networks, cybersecurity will increasingly depend on establishing trust between devices, operators and services—not just protecting central grid infrastructure. The DigiCert partnership gives Australia a shared digital identity layer for that challenge, while leaving broader device and network security as an ongoing responsibility across the energy ecosystem.
Market Landscape
Australia’s distributed energy market is moving toward a more connected operating model. Rooftop solar, home batteries and smart inverters are becoming controllable resources that can interact with electricity networks, rather than isolated household installations.
Three developments are shaping the market:
- Device identity and authentication: Utilities need consistent ways to verify connected inverters, batteries and other distributed energy resources before exchanging operational information or control instructions.
- Interoperability standards: CSIP-AUS and IEEE 2030.5 provide a common communications foundation for participating devices and network operators. National PKI infrastructure supports the trust layer required for those connections.
- Critical infrastructure cybersecurity: Connected energy devices create additional endpoints that must be secured throughout their lifecycle, including onboarding, certificate renewal, software updates and decommissioning.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s NEPKI project is intended to reduce the fragmentation of security arrangements across networks and device manufacturers. Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)
DigiCert’s selection positions it as a provider of the certificate infrastructure supporting that framework. The wider challenge will be ensuring that digital identity controls work alongside device-level security, network monitoring and operational safeguards.
Top Insights
- DigiCert will provide PKI infrastructure for NEPKI to authenticate rooftop solar and battery systems communicating with Australian electricity distribution networks.
- The deployment supports CSIP-AUS, Australia’s common communications standard for distributed energy resources and utility networks.
- NEPKI reports that 44 solar and battery manufacturers have joined its framework, representing approximately 94% of the Australian market.
- DigiCert Device Trust Manager supports certificate lifecycle management, including automated renewals, according to the company.
- PKI strengthens device identity and communications security but does not replace firmware protection, vulnerability management or wider grid cybersecurity controls.
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