Chinese Hide Sabotage Devices in Solar Power Inverters, U.S. Officials Claim

Brussels’ green targets are already damaging enough for consumers, businesses and, of course, farmers. But significant—albeit unsurprising—reports this week highlight that the reliance on Chinese goods in particular to ‘achieve’ these goals could have a far worse impact on its own.

U.S. officials have identified ‘rogue communication devices’ not listed in product documents in some Chinese solar power inverters. They spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, and even refused to name the Chinese manufacturers, but did say the devices could skirt firewalls and switch off inverters remotely, or change their settings, which could in turn trigger widespread blackouts.

That effectively means there is a built-in way to physically destroy the grid.

Former intelligence official Norman Roule noted that “if these Chinese Trojan horse devices are in solar panel inverters in the U.S., they are likely in place in other countries as well.” Indeed, Europe is heavily reliant on Chinese solar panel imports, with up to 90% of solar modules used in European Union countries coming from China—often containing elements produced by slave labour, in case these imports weren’t already bad enough.

Responding to the news, Slovak MEP Miriam Lexmann said “a green transformation that relies on Chinese technology is both damaging, immoral and a security threat.”

It comes less than a month after politicians and journalists—including many on the left—accepted the role of Europe’s over-reliance on renewables in the Iberian blackouts, thought to be the biggest seen on the continent yet.

Reports have also long pointed to the risk of Chinese electric cars—which are flooding European markets—paralysing motorists and spying on citizens.

The Chinese embassy in Washington dismissed reports on devices in solar panel inverters, accusing officials of “distorting and smearing China’s infrastructure achievements.”