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Dear Dot,
I want to avoid Chinese devices that can control solar panels. Do we have a way of identifying the panels that have these devices? If yes, is there a way to remove them?
–Mary
Dear Mary,
Some might wonder if your question seems a bit paranoid, but not Dot! Rather, Dot assumes you’re someone who pays close attention to the news and likely came across a media report like this: In May, Reuters reported that U.S. energy officials are considering potential risks posed by rogue communication devices that have been found in some Chinese solar power inverters. These devices were not listed in product documents.
“Reuters was unable to determine how many solar power inverters and batteries they have looked at,” the article said. Unfortunately, we don’t have much more public information on how widespread a problem this actually is. The two officials interviewed for the article declined to name the Chinese manufacturers of the inverters with these devices, and they also didn’t say how many devices they found. “The existence of the rogue devices has not previously been reported. The U.S. government has not publicly acknowledged the discoveries,” the article adds.
While any information breach is a legitimate concern, Dot’s friend, an electrical engineer with roots in Silicon Valley, told me that a theoretical Chinese bot could collect much more information from wifi routers or AI data centers than it could from a solar inverter. Still, this report has understandably generated a bit of alarm. So let’s dig into what you can do if you want to play it safe.
When it comes to the solar supply chain, a lot of us are in the dark. A couple of years ago Dot chatted with Alan Crawford, Chemical Engineering Consultant to the solar grade polysilicon industry, for a reader’s question about avoiding solar panels made from forced labor in the Xinjiang province, China.
While that question raised issued mostly about the polysilicon used in panels, Dot’s response noted, “As Crawford points out, the person installing your solar panels and even the company they work for are so removed from the earlier stages of the supply chain that they likely won’t even know where the polysilicon in their products has come from.” But polysilicon is not the only solar component that is predominantly made in China. Most inverters, which are used to connect solar panels to the grid, are manufactured there, too. Inverters are not part of the panels themselves but rather a separate component that receives the energy from solar panels and converts it to usable electricity.
A major difference between polysilicon and inverters is that, while polysilicon can be hard to trace, inverters are manufactured and sold separately, and the solar installer you are working with will know which company manufactured their inverters. So, while we might not know which Chinese-manufactured inverters are at risk for this suspicious software, it is possible to avoid Chinese-made inverters entirely. If it would give you comfort, Mary, it’s quite reasonable to seek out an inverter from any of these notable solar inverter manufacturers outside of China, such as Enphase (U.S.), SMA Solar Technology (Germany), Fronius International (Austria), and Dot leaves this option without comment, Tesla (U.S.).
We recommend checking with your solar installer to see if the inverter you are buying is from one of these companies, or you can just ask where the inverters they sell were made.
If you already have an inverter that you are concerned about, it is possible to switch it out. Just make sure it’s compatible with your system by asking a professional installer if the inverter you are interested in works for your solar setup. The labor cost of replacing an inverter typically runs from $200–$500, plus the cost of the inverter itself, which averages $1,500 (low-end) to $3,000 (higher end). It’s your call whether it’s worth the pricetag to be sure the Chinese aren’t spying on you via your solar panels.
Sending good energy your way!
Warily,
Dot
