U.S. energy officials are investigating hidden communication devices found in Chinese-made solar power equipment. According to a Reuters report, the rogue components could allow remote access to America’s electric grid, raising serious national security concerns.
The report reveals that undocumented cellular radios and other components were found embedded in power inverters. These are critical devices used to connect solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries to electricity grids. The extra components were not disclosed in official documentation and could be used to bypass firewalls and enable remote access, experts warned.
“If activated, this hardware could be used to destabilize power supplies or even destroy segments of the grid,” one unnamed source told Reuters.
The devices, reportedly found in both solar inverters and battery systems made by multiple Chinese suppliers, raise new concerns about Beijing’s influence over U.S. infrastructure.
Former NSA director Mike Rogers said the discovery validates longstanding fears. “China believes there is value in placing elements of our infrastructure at risk,” he warned, adding that the widespread use of Chinese-manufactured devices could limit America’s options to secure its grid.
Although the Department of Energy has not publicly acknowledged the rogue devices, it issued a statement saying it is “continually assessing risk” from foreign technologies. The agency admitted there are “challenges” with manufacturers failing to disclose all product functions.
The news adds fuel to growing bipartisan efforts in Congress to limit Chinese technology in U.S. critical infrastructure. Representative August Pfluger (R-TX), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the Chinese Communist Party “stops at nothing to target our sensitive infrastructure.”
“It’s about time we ramp up our efforts to show China that compromising us will no longer be acceptable,” Pfluger told Reuters.
Reuters reports that major U.S. utilities, including Florida Power & Light, are already trying to reduce their dependence on Chinese inverters, which currently dominate the market.
In 2022, Huawei accounted for 29% of global inverter shipments, followed by Chinese manufacturers Sungrow and Ginlong Solis.
While Huawei exited the U.S. inverter market in 2019, its products remain widely used in Europe, where hundreds of gigawatts of solar capacity are tied to Chinese inverters — the equivalent of more than 200 nuclear power plants, according to SolarPower Europe.
As the United States rushes to build out renewable infrastructure, lawmakers and intelligence experts alike are urging vigilance, warning that ignoring the cyber risks embedded in hardware today could lead to catastrophe tomorrow.