French Tech Secures Solar Farms from Cyber Threats

Solar farms across Europe are getting a powerful shield against hackers, thanks to a breakthrough device from a French technology company.

Cyllene, an IT services provider with over 400 employees across France, unveiled the RC-DC4/5G box in December 2024 at the Energaïa trade show. The compact device acts as a digital guard, encrypting all data flowing between solar panels and their control systems while blocking unauthorized access attempts.

The timing couldn't be better. The European Solar Market Council and SolarPower Europe recently warned that renewable energy facilities have become attractive targets for cybercriminals, as these distributed networks collect vast amounts of productivity and operational data.

"Solar and wind farms rely on increasingly distributed networks to collect data on plant productivity, outages, and other factors," explained Anthony Le Fauconnier, a sales engineer at Cyllene. That connectivity creates vulnerabilities that didn't exist in older energy infrastructure.

The Cyllene Box works by sitting upstream of a solar farm's network, managing multiple internet connections including fiber, 4G, 5G, and even satellite links. It integrates a firewall and ensures all connected equipment, from sensors to control systems, communicates securely.

What makes the solution particularly valuable is its management portal, which creates dynamic maps of all connected equipment. This helps operators comply with the European Union's NIS 2 directive, new regulations requiring detailed documentation of network infrastructure and multiple data backups to strengthen resilience against cyber threats.

Cyllene currently manages 150 solar parks across France. Half already have the new security boxes installed, and the company plans to equip all remaining facilities by the end of February 2025.

The company also addresses another growing concern: data sovereignty. By hosting everything on servers in three French data centers, renewable energy operators can keep sensitive operational data within domestic borders, responding to client demand for local control over their information.

The Ripple Effect

This innovation reaches far beyond French solar farms. As renewable energy becomes the backbone of Europe's power grid, protecting these facilities from cyberattacks protects millions of homes and businesses that depend on clean electricity. A successful hack could disrupt power supplies, manipulate energy markets, or steal valuable operational data.

By making cybersecurity affordable and accessible for solar operators, Cyllene is helping ensure the renewable energy transition doesn't create new vulnerabilities. The technology can adapt to different regions and connection types, making it deployable across diverse locations from urban installations to remote rural sites.

Pierre-Vincent Caisso, director of Cyllene's ClientPartner and Consulting Department, sees the rollout as just the beginning of securing Europe's clean energy future. As solar and wind capacity continues growing rapidly across the continent, robust cybersecurity infrastructure will become as essential as the panels and turbines themselves.