POPIA Compliant Regulatory Framework for Smart Grids to Secure Gaps in Existing Privacy Laws

Smart Grids improve the efficiency of power systems. They allow electricity providers to integrate renewable energy sources, enable customers to reduce their electrical usage and minimise power outages. The success of the smart grid depends on information and data that flow between participating entities. However, this leads to a wide range of privacy concerns that countries taking on this venture need to address. Research shows that most states around the world do not have regulations and standards that relate directly to ensuring privacy in the smart grid. The smart grid vision of South Africa by 2030 is underway and projects have been implemented in some municipalities. However, South Africa has no law that is directly related to addressing privacy in its smart grid. While the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) exists to protect personal information in South Africa, it is not targeting privacy issues directly in the smart grid. This paper argues that if customers do not have confidence that their information will be kept private, they will not adopt smart grid initiatives. This will hinder the success of the smart grid in resolving energy challenges in South Africa. This study adopted a systematic literature review methodology to create a privacy framework for identifying loopholes in existing privacy laws. The resulting framework was used to identify and present the loopholes in the POPI Act of South Africa. The proposed privacy regulatory framework can be adopted by other countries to identify loopholes in their existing privacy laws so as to create new regulations that enforce privacy in smart grid operations. In addition, it can be used to amend existing privacy acts.