Modern power electronics in active distribution network

With the advancement of power electronics and semiconductors technology, new faster devices with lower switching energy were developed, enabling faster switching frequency operation. As a result, the volume and size of the power converters were considerably reduced, bringing advantages for those applications in which the power density is very important [1]. As modern power electronics continue to transform the emerging challenges in the distribution networks, the controllability of interconnected power electronic converters becomes a severe problem. The advances in IT infrastructural developments have simplified this problem but have exposed the system to a larger threat of cyber attacks. This chapter overviews the different challenges faced by modern power electronics and the extent to which they are vulnerable to man-made threats, i.e, cyber attacks.