China has a habit of sneaking “back doors” into the electronics they manufacture. They have been doing it for a long time too. Around 15 years ago they were caught sneaking undocumented back doors into network equipment to allow easy access to networks by exploiting a built in access method that only they knew about.
It seems they are installing undocumented communications devices in solar panels, batteries and inverters. These devices allow the chinese government to connect to and control solar energy generation devices, using cellular network signals.
In other words, the Chinese are building a remote “Kill Switch” into the solar products we buy in the USA.
U.S. energy officials are reassessing the risk posed by Chinese-made devices that play a critical role in renewable energy infrastructure after unexplained communication equipment was found inside some of them, two people familiar with the matter said.
Power inverters, which are predominantly produced in China, are used throughout the world to connect solar panels and wind turbines to electricity grids. They are also found in batteries, heat pumps, and electric vehicle chargers.
While inverters are built to allow remote access for updates and maintenance, the utility companies that use them typically install firewalls to prevent direct communication back to China.
However, rogue communication devices not listed in product documents have been found in some Chinese solar power inverters by U.S experts who strip down equipment hooked up to grids to check for security issues, the two people said.
Over the past nine months, undocumented communication devices, including cellular radios, have also been found in some batteries from multiple Chinese suppliers, one of them said.