According to Reuters, U.S. energy officials are reassessing the risk posed by Chinese-made devices that play a critical role in renewable energy infrastructure after unexplained communication equipment was found inside some of them.
Power inverters, which are predominantly produced in China, are used worldwide to connect solar panels and wind turbines to electricity grids. They are also found in batteries, heat pumps, and electric vehicle chargers. They are supposed to be used to update and maintain the equipment. Usually, there are firewalls to keep the communication from going to China. However, rogue devices have been found that are communicating with China in some solar power inverters. They were found in cellular radios as well as solar panels.
They provide additional undocumented communication channels that could allow firewalls to be circumvented remotely, potentially with catastrophic consequences.
Former NSA Mike Rogers thinks that, in part, “the Chinese are hoping that the widespread use of inverters limits the options the West has to deal with the security issue.”
It Could Take Down the Grid
According to Reuters sources, the danger is real and serious; it could take down the grid.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said, “We oppose the generalization of the concept of national security, distorting and smearing China’s infrastructure achievements.”
Experts said using rogue communication devices to skirt firewalls, switch off inverters remotely, or change their settings could destabilise power grids, damage energy infrastructure, and trigger widespread blackouts.
That effectively means there is a built-in way to destroy the grid physically.
In February, two U.S. Senators introduced the Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act, which would, starting in October 2027, ban the Department of Homeland Security from purchasing batteries from some Chinese entities due to national security concerns.
The Bill languishes in the Senate
The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on March 11 and has yet to be enacted.
It aims to prevent Homeland Security from procuring batteries from six Chinese companies Washington says are closely linked to the Chinese Communist Party: Contemporary Amperex Technology Company (CATL), BYD Company, Envision Energy, EVE Energy Company, Hithium Energy Storage Technology Company, and Gotion High-tech Company.
The DOE spokesperson said: “As more domestic manufacturing takes hold, DOE is working across the federal government to strengthen U.S. supply chains, providing additional opportunities to integrate trusted equipment into the power grid.”
According to consultancy Wood Mackenzie, Huawei is the world’s largest supplier of inverters, accounting for 29% of shipments globally in 2022. It is followed by Chinese peers Sungrow and Ginlong Solis.
However, German solar developer 1Komma5 said that it avoids Huawei inverters because the brand is associated with security risks.
We have known about the danger of Huawei since Trump’s first term.
You can comment on the article after the ads and subscribe to the Daily Newsletter here if you would like a quick view of the articles of the day and any late news:
wpDiscuz
