Undisclosed communication devices reportedly discovered in Chinese-manufactured solar panels and related equipment have sparked concerns among U.S. officials about the vulnerability of the nation’s power grid, according to a Reuters report.
These “rogue” devices, found over the past nine months, could potentially destabilize energy infrastructure and trigger widespread blackouts, sources familiar with the matter told the outlet.
The undocumented devices, including cellular radios, were identified in solar power inverters, batteries, electric vehicle chargers, and heat pumps produced by several Chinese suppliers.
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) May 14, 2025
The U.S. has found Trojan horse communication devices in Chinese-made solar power inverters. They are used to connect solar panels to electricity grids.
The devices could be turned out remotely to destabilize energy grids, potentially leading to massive blackouts like… pic.twitter.com/mShdpVD4oD
U.S. experts uncovered the components during security inspections of renewable energy equipment, prompting a reevaluation of the risks posed by these products.
Inverters, critical for connecting solar panels and wind turbines to the power grid, are predominantly manufactured in China, amplifying concerns about their security.
“We know that China believes there is value in placing at least some elements of our core infrastructure at risk of destruction or disruption,” said Mike Rogers, former director of the U.S. National Security Agency.
“I think that the Chinese are, in part, hoping that the widespread use of inverters limits the options that the West has to deal with the security issue,” Roger’s further urged.
Experts warn that these rogue devices could bypass firewalls, allowing remote manipulation of inverter settings or even complete shutdowns.
Such actions could disrupt power grids, damage energy infrastructure, and cause blackouts.
“That effectively means there is a built-in way to physically destroy the grid,” another source told Reuters.
The discovery adds to long-standing warnings from energy and security experts about the risks of relying on Chinese-made green energy products.
Concerns over espionage and sabotage have grown as the U.S. continues to integrate these technologies into its energy systems.
In December 2023, Republican officials, including former Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher and then-Senator Marco Rubio, urged Duke Energy to discontinue using Chinese-manufactured CATL batteries at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, citing surveillance risks.
“Directly following our inquiry, Duke disconnected the Chinese-manufactured systems from the grid,” Gallagher and Rubio stated in a February 2024 press release.
“Others that continue to work with CATL, and other companies under the control of the CCP, should take note,” they added.
The Department of Energy (DOE) acknowledged the issue, with a spokesperson telling Reuters that the department continuously assesses risks associated with new technologies.
“While this functionality may not have malicious intent, it is critical for those procuring to have a full understanding of the capabilities of the products received,” the spokesperson said.
The DOE is working to strengthen domestic supply chains and improve transparency through initiatives like the “Software Bill of Materials,” which inventories all components in software applications.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington rejected the allegations, stating, “We oppose the generalisation [sic] of the concept of national security, distorting and smearing China’s infrastructure achievements.”
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The ignorance of the American officials, as per usual, is the sort of thing that leaves me almost speechless. Like, where do you start your rant when somebody understands so little?
The first fact to understand is this: If the Chinese government ever want the lights off in the US, or in any European country, well, they are so spoilt for choice in ways of achieving this, that our best hope is that they spend so much time discussing it between themselves that they never get to agree on the method.
Almost every electronic gadget comes from China. Plus good portions of the software needed to run basic infrastructure. To give you just one random example, I went once to a meeting by an NGO that was installing solar panels on land owned by railways in order to power signal equipment, etc. Turned out that they needed access to software that would prove that putting these solar panels in various out-of-the-way places would be fine for the grid. Turned out that the Chinese graciously allowed this NGO to use for free their software, that already had every bit of data needed about the UK grid, to do their feasibility study. And the project could go ahead.
To give you another random example: the Chinese already manufacture almost all the basic temperature controllers used in industrial applications. The Europeans and Americans only make the high and medium tech level. All the industries that just need a basic oven keeping a stable temperature are effectively owned by the Chinese.
So, going into the detail of those inverters: yeah, of course they have a comms device. Like just about anything used in any industry these days (including many temperature controllers, by the way). It isn’t any sort of secret, it’s part of the standard features, so that you can have what is called a “smart grid” that takes into account information about demand and other such things. If you don’t want them, you probably can order them without comms.
But worrying about that specific threat is what you do when you are an American official trying to pretend that you know something, when in actual fact, you know little about anything that really matters. Like, say, somebody who is hypochondriac about breast cancer but doesn’t do regular general medical check-ups or tries to eat a healthy diet. Chances are, she’ll die of something else.
No s#@t Sherlock!! The plan in motion