A worrying discovery has been made in the United States involving solar farms—large areas filled with solar panels that produce electricity from sunlight. Hidden inside some of these farms were tiny devices known as “kill switches”. These are special parts that could turn off the solar equipment remotely, without anyone’s permission or knowledge.
The kill switches were found inside power inverters, which are very important machines in solar farms. Power inverters take the electricity made by panels and change it into a type of electricity that the power grid can use to send to homes and businesses. Because inverters are so vital, if someone can control them remotely, they could potentially cause big problems in the power system.
The equipment with these hidden parts was made by certain Chinese companies. This discovery has caused alarm because it means someone could shut down large parts of the power grid from far away. Some experts say that if these switches were used maliciously, they could cause blackouts, cutting off electricity to many people.
Growing Security Concerns in the UK and US
After learning about the kill switches in American farms, British officials and politicians are now worried about similar risks in the UK. The UK government has been building many solar power plants as part of its plan to use more green energy and reduce pollution. However, many of the solar inverters used in the UK come from China, just like in the US.
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Andrew Bowie, the UK shadow energy minister, has called for an immediate pause on building new farms until experts can check if UK farms also have these dangerous hidden parts. He warned that relying heavily on Chinese-made equipment poses a threat to national security.
A UK government spokesperson said that the country’s energy sector is watched closely to protect national security, but they did not comment on any specific cases. Meanwhile, Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK, said that if any risky equipment is found in the UK, it could be replaced quickly to keep the energy system safe.
China’s Role in the Global Solar Market
China is a big player in the global solar energy market. Chinese companies make many of the parts needed for farms, such as power inverters, panels, and batteries. In fact, about half of all solar inverters used worldwide come from Chinese firms.
Two major Chinese companies, Huawei and Sungrow, control over half of the global inverter market. This means a large part of the world’s solar power depends on equipment made in China.
Because of this, experts worry that a country like China could, if it wanted to, use the control it has over solar power equipment to affect other countries’ electricity supplies. For example, by remotely switching off power inverters, they could cause power outages.
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Recently, in the US, there was an incident where Chinese-made solar inverters were switched off remotely. Although there is no clear evidence of wrongdoing, it raised fears about the security of energy infrastructure.
This discovery has triggered discussions about whether countries should stop using Chinese-made equipment in their energy systems, similar to past actions taken against Chinese telecom companies over spying concerns.
While China denies these allegations and calls them false accusations, governments in the US and UK are reviewing the safety of their power systems to protect national security.