16.05.2025 15:11
Engineers in the United States have discovered hidden 'kill switches' in devices at Chinese-made solar energy farms. These switches provide the capability for Beijing to remotely shut down or sabotage electrical grids in the U.S., the U.K., and Europe in the event of a conflict. The issue was found in devices known as 'inverters,' which are the heart of solar energy systems and transfer electricity to the grid.
American engineers have detected hidden "kill switches" in Chinese-made devices at solar energy farms in the United States. These hidden switches provide Beijing with the ability to remotely shut down or sabotage the electrical grids in the U.S., U.K., and Europe in the event of a conflict.
The issue was found in devices called "inverters," which are the heart of solar energy systems and transfer electricity to the grid. Hidden communication modules were detected in these devices that were never mentioned in the manufacturer's documentation.
"This means that China could physically take down the electrical grid if necessary," said a source familiar with the matter.
Inverters are typically designed to allow remote access for updates, but firewalls usually block direct connections to China. The discovered hidden devices are capable of bypassing these security measures.
In the past nine months, undocumented communication devices have also been found in batteries from various Chinese manufacturers. Sources speaking to Reuters did not disclose which Chinese companies installed these devices.
Former U.S. National Security Agency director Mike Rogers stated, "China believes it is valuable to put part of the West's critical infrastructure at risk."
There are also concerns about the presence of such devices in the U.K. Andrew Bowie, the energy spokesperson for the opposition Conservative Party, called for an urgent review of the government's green energy projects.
"Ed Miliband's 'Chinese-made' green energy transition poses a threat to our national security," Bowie said.
China's dominance in renewable energy technology is an undeniable fact. Huawei holds 29% of the global inverter market. Huawei and another Chinese firm, Sungrow, produced more than half of the world's power inverters in 2023.
The U.S. has restricted Huawei on national security grounds since 2019, but the company continues to maintain its dominance in other countries.
Philipp Schroeder, CEO of the German solar energy company 1Komma5, said, "Shutting down Chinese inverters a decade ago would not have caused major issues in European grids, but now the situation is different. As the likelihood of serious conflict between the West and China increases, this poses a greater danger."
While the British government reviews Chinese technology, it is also accelerating its plans for a transition to green energy. The government plans to mandate the installation of solar panels in supermarket and shopping center parking lots and require all new homes to have solar panels by 2027.
The Chinese Embassy rejected these claims, stating, "We oppose the generalization of the concept of national security and the vilification of China's infrastructure achievements."