- Communication devices have been found in Chinese made solar inverters
- These have the potential to destabilase the power grid
- It's unknown how many were found or the intent behind them
Rogue communication devices have been discovered in Chinese made solar inverters, devices which play a ‘critical role’ in renewable energy infrastructure, Reuters reports. This has prompted US energy officials to re-assess the risks of emerging technologies produced in China.
Power inverters are primarily produced in China, but used globally to connect solar panels and wind turbines to electricity grids, as well as being used in heat pumps, batteries, and electric vehicle chargers.
It’s reported that over the last nine months, some batteries bought from Chinese suppliers have been discovered with hidden communication devices like cellular radios - according to sources familiar with the matter.
Rogue components
Experts have warned that communication devices could evade firewalls and switch inverters off remotely, posing a huge risk to power grids, as they could change settings, damage energy infrastructure, destabilize the grid, and cause widespread blackouts.
It’s not yet clear how many of these communication devices were found, nor the nature of the devices themselves - and the intent behind the planting of these is unknown. That being said, the US Department of Energy has confirmed it continually assesses risks associated “with emerging technologies and that there were significant challenges with manufacturers disclosing and documenting functionalities.”
This isn't the first time solar grids have been targeted - and security flaws leaving them vulnerable to being hijacked and even disabled. 46 vulnerabilities discovered by Forescout were found to allow hackers to deploy remote code execution, denial of service, device takeover, and access cloud platforms or sensitive information.
It seems likely, given recent events and rising geopolitical tensions, that the US will look to move production to domestic manufacturing plants for a more secure supply chain, It’s worth noting though, that Huawei is currently the world’s largest supplier of inverters, accounting for 29% of shipments around the world in 2022.
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