Chinese ‘Kill Switches’ Found in US Solar Farms
Chinese ‘kill switches’ have been found hidden in American solar farms, prompting calls for Ed Miliband to halt the rollout of renewables over security concerns. The Telegraph has the story.
On Thursday, the Energy Secretary was urged to impose an “immediate pause” on his green energy blitz to review whether UK solar plants are also at risk.
The components found in the US included cellular radios capable of switching off the equipment remotely, raising serious concerns about grid security, according to Reuters.
They were found inside power inverters manufactured by unnamed Chinese companies.
Power inverters are the key links between solar or wind farms and the rest of the power system, converting their electricity so the wider grid can use it.
One source told Reuters that compromising such equipment would give Beijing the ability to inflict blackouts on the West, claiming it would create “a built-in way to physically destroy the grid”.
China has dismissed the claims as a smear. But the discovery has sounded alarm bells within the US Government and is likely to prompt a similar scramble in Britain.
Andrew Bowie, the Shadow Energy Minister, on Thursday said the “worrying revelations” should spark serious concern for Mr Miliband and called for an urgent investigation.
He said: “We were already aware of concerns being raised by the Ministry of Defence and the security and intelligence services surrounding possible monitoring technology on Chinese-built wind turbines – but given the dominance of China in solar, these developments are equally if not even more worrying.
“Ed Miliband’s Made in China transition – clean power at the expense of everything else – is a threat to our national security and makes a mockery of his claims on energy security.
“It is essential that an immediate pause and review is carried out to ensure the safety and security of our energy system.”
One industry source on Thursday said that British solar farms used inverters from a variety of sources, including Chinese, American, German and Israeli suppliers.
A UK Government spokesman said: “We would never let anything get in the way of our national security, and while we would not comment on individual cases, our energy sector is subject to the highest levels of national security scrutiny.”
Worth reading in full.
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Who could possibly imagine that the country’s enemy would install a method of taking down our infrastructure given a chance? Inconceivable!
The problem for retail buyers such as the undersigned is how to get inverters guaranteed not to contain this stuff?
A UK Government spokesman said: “We would never let anything get in the way of our national security… Our energy sector is subject to the highest levels of national security scrutiny.”
Tell that to the Right Dishonourable Members who waved through the 2008 Climate Claptrap Act in an afternoon and in 2019 backed Net Zero to the hilt.
Is that the same national security scrutiny that told Keir Starmer the Southport riots were a Far Right plot?
You couldn’t make it up could you….
Safe & Effective “vaccines” hundreds if thousands dead and injured.
“Chinese asset Ed Miliband warned there are Chinese kill switches in the Chinese solar panels he’s been paid to install.”
Why would you need ‘kill switches’ on solar panels in the fifth darkest country on Earth?
Fair point though on some sunny days killing the panels would probably bring the whole grid down.
A cloud scudding across a solar array can do that.
I’d just install a switch that would would change the AC frequency of the inverter. Whole grid goes down, just like Spain and Portugal.
I think the frequency part of it is probably achieved usimg a rotary converter, although I could be wrong – they’re pretty old tech. Probably solid state inverters nowadays.
Easy enough to bypass/bridge now that they have been discovered.
I’m not convinced. If an enemy can hide explosive components triggered by a coded signal in a batch of pagers, something more subtle which responds to a command signal to drift the frequency of the output or unexpectedly drops out or fails to drop out when required to do so could play hell with the grid. Probably wouldn’t be triggered until maximum disruption could be assured and, ideally, self destructing to hide the evidence.
Maybe even something like stuxnet which destroyed Iran’s Uranium purifying centrifuges while continuing to report that everything was working just fine and dandy.
The current plan will have to be abandoned, it just depends how much pain the elites are prepared to take before doing it. They will need a scapegoat.
Bye Eddy!
A UK government spokesman said: “we’re stopping illegal immigration, making the NHS efficient and responsive, cutting government waste, reducing crime, giving control back to employers, helping landlords, creating educational choice, making farming a rewarding investment, deporting foreign criminals, and making the safety of our streets the envy of the world. Oh, and I have a bridge to sell you.”
I’m sceptical. Just because it undermines my enemies, doesn’t make it true.
(but it will still melt their heads, so I’ll enjoy it anyway)
“Regretfully, we’re forced to scrap the solar project. As wonderful as solar panels are, and as much as they will contribute to a Net Zero Britain, we cannot afford to sacrifice national security at a time of heightened global tensions. If other countries were as well organised and disciplined as our Chinese Comrades, that would help, but there aren’t any other solar panels available anywhere else, sadly. And we understand that our Chinese Comrades wanted to monitor our usage of the inverters for the sole reason of enhancing our experience, they can dial in to fix faults. But we can’t sacrifice the possibility, however slim, that rogue actors could take advantage of the excellent Chinese technology, so, sadly, they have to go. Watch this space, we have some new Net Zero plans in the pipeline! No, not that sort of pipeline, honest!”
That would be the rogue Far Right coming into solar farms on trains and buses, using season tickets paid for by Putin.
I think the downvote missed the quotation marks 🤣
It is synonymous with Michael Howard but readily applies to Ed Milliband “something of the night”
Something of the nursery, more like…
Lunatics in charge of the asylum is what we have for government in the UK.
Nothing to see here. Move along like good Gammons. A spokesman for Ed said
I guess it must be asked: Was it a kill switch that was activated that took down the Spanish grid? As it has been noted ‘Red Eléctrica, noted that the systems had been stable until two “disconnection” incidents within seconds of each other in the south-west, where Spain has substantial solar generation.‘.
A non-story. But… solar arrays are fitted with communication equipment to allow remote access to assess performance and for maintenance. FoxNews website: ”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. Asked for comment, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said it continually assesses risk associated with emerging technologies and that there were significant challenges with manufacturers disclosing and documenting functionalities. “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,” a spokesperson said.” So communications equipment in these products is commonplace, known about, understood, but in this instance the presence of some equipment had not been included in the product specifications. Much ado about nothing. If the Chinese – or anyone – wanted to shut down a grid reliant on solar and wind, it just need drop a bucket of tin foil… Read more »
Would it be too much to hope it was the Chinese who installed 2TK’s brain?