The American energy authorities are currently investigating suspicious communication modules that have been discovered in Chinese solar energy and battery shops. As two people who are familiar with the material report, devices were found in various cases that were not mentioned in the official product documentation. These can jeopardize the cyber protection of critical energy infrastructure.
Inverter – essential for the feeding of electricity from solar systems and wind energy factories in the network – usually come from China worldwide. Battery storage, heat pumps and charging devices for electric vehicles are also often equipped with Chinese technology.
The suspicious components, including non-published mobile phone modules, have been discovered in the past nine months in technical analyzes by American experts in various devices. According to the sources, these additional communication channels can open those existing security barriers such as firewalls – with possible catastrophic consequences for electric griders.
China rejects accusations
Mike Rogers, a former director of the National Security Agency (NSA), said: “We know that China is interested in possibly a potential attacks of central infrastructures of the West.” Rogers warns against systemic risks with a view to the growing spread of the Chinese inverter.
A spokeswoman for the Chinese consulate in Washington rejected the allegations: “We refuse to use national security as an excuse to distort or tackle Chinese performance in the infrastructure.”
Risk for power schedules
The modules that are found in the devices can be activated from a distance to eliminate inverters or manipulate their settings – according to experts this can lead to an extensive power failure. It was especially crucial that a central control of large parts of decentralized solar energy systems would be possible if an attacker gained access.
The sources have not provided official information about how many devices are influenced or which manufacturers are involved. The US Department of Energy has not yet been publicly commented on the finds, but said that new risks are constantly being checked in the case of emerging technologies. There are considerable challenges in the disclosure and documentation of all technical functions by the manufacturers.
Wet initiatives and international reactions
The revelations come at a time when skepticism grows against Chinese technology in a critical infrastructure. In February, two American senators introduced the disconnection of the foreign opponents’ dependence law, which would prohibit the purchase of Chinese batteries by the Ministry of Homeland Protection from 2027. Among other things, well -known companies such as Catl, BYD and Gothion would be affected.
European countries are also reacting: Lithuania forbidden External access to solar systems with more than 100 kilowatts of performance in November 2023, provided that Chinese technology is installed. The Estonian authorities warned of extortion potential by China as the technology of the People’s Republic may not be excluded.
In the UK, an assessment of the security policy of the Chinese role in the energy sector, including the inverters used, is currently underway.
Technological Dominance of China
According to the Wood Mackenzie consulting firm, almost a third of all world -forefront inverters from the Chinese manufacturer Huawei – followed by Sungrow and Ginlong Solis. According to its own statements, the German company 1Skomma5 is deliberately abandoned by Huawei components for safety reasons.
The CEO of 1Momma5, Philipp Schroeder, warns: “Ten years ago a failure of the Chinese inverter would not have been a big problem for European energy networks – today it looks very different.”
Risks for the future
According to estimates from the European Solar Manufacturing Council, more than 200 gigawatts of solar energy are connected to Chinese interverters in Europe – this corresponds to around 200 nuclear power plants. Given this dependence, experts warn of strategic vulnerability of Western power nets.
NATO said that China’s efforts to influence the critical infrastructure of their Member States would increase. One spokesperson demanded: “We must identify and reduce strategic dependencies.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
