ESMC - Elite Home & Solar

Solar Energy

Call for an EU “Inverter Security Toolbox“

May 1, 2025 ryansheehanrts

The EMSC bases its analysis and demands on the recently published report by DNV on behalf of SolarPower Europe.

“Today, over 200 GW of European PV capacity is already linked to inverters manufactured in China – the equivalent of more than 200 nuclear power plants,” said Christoph Podewils, the ESMC Secretary General. “This means Europe has effectively surrendered remote control of a vast portion of its electricity infrastructure.”

Significant cybersecurity threats

“The risk is not theoretical“, Podewils underlined. Modern inverters are required to be connected to the internet to fulfill essential grid functions or to participate in the power market. However, these connections also allow for software updates – meaning any manufacturer can alter the performance of these devices remotely.

SolarPower Europe calls for action plan to save the European PV inverter industry

This introduces significant cybersecurity threats, including the potential for deliberate interference or mass shutdowns. The DNV report would reinforce this concern and warns of the real possibility of cascading blackouts caused by malicious or coordinated inverter manipulation.

Further concerns include:

• 70% of all inverters installed in 2023 came from Chinese vendors, mainly Huawei and Sungrow.

• These two companies alone already control remote access to 168 GW of PV capacity in Europe (DNV Report, p. 40).

• By 2030, this figure is projected to exceed 400 GW – comparable to the output of 150–200 nuclear power plants.

• One of these vendors is already banned from the 5G sector in many countries and is currently under investigation in Belgium for bribery and corruption.

Restrict remote access from high-risk vendors

In light of these findings, the ESMC calls for the immediate development of an EU “Inverter Security Toolbox”, modeled after the successful 5G Security Toolbox. This would involve:

• A comprehensive risk assessment of inverter manufacturers.

• A requirement that high-risk vendors must not be permitted to maintain an online connection to European electricity systems.

• Consideration of outright bans for such vendors from connecting to the grid.

• A replication of Lithuania’s proactive legislation – banning inverters from China – across all EU Member States – ensuring security measures apply to PV systems of all sizes.

“Europe must act now to prevent a future energy crisis that would rival the gas dependency on Russia,” said Podewils. “We support the European Commission’s upcoming assessment of cybersecurity risks in the solar value chain and are ready to contribute our expertise.” (hcn)

Source link

Solar Energy

European solar manufacturing should be a priority

September 10, 2024 ryansheehanrts

The ESMC appeal consist of five concrete policy actions with the potential to make an immediate difference for the European solar PV manufacturing, an industry presently suffering existential challenges due to oversupply of unsustainably priced PV modules from China.

“With our proposals, the EU can begin bringing solar manufacturing back to Europe as early as this year. Increased domestic solar production will reduce our emissions, create thousands of new green jobs, and lessen our dependence on China. It’s a clear win-win, that the EU cannot miss. The ball is now in Ursula von der Leyen’s court and her new legislation”, says Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, Policy Director at ESMC

Reshoring PV manufacturing capacities in the EU

ESMC is requesting to position the European solar PV manufacturing industry as one of the priorities during the institutional formation procedures of the European Commission. The already existing quantitative targets for the EU PV manufacturing should be defined to deliver appropriate investments in reshoring PV manufacturing capacities in the EU.

The measures proposed by ESMC — in addition to on-going initiatives to support the EU industries — will not require extensive additional legal provisions or lengthy implementation procedures, therefore, expecting fast and at the same time long-term effect:

1. European buy-out facility to ensure certain up-take for European-made PV products.
2. Appropriate trade defense measures for the EU PV manufacturing, similar to the already taken measures for battery electric vehicles vis-à-vis China, in a way not to jeopardize the PV deployment in the EU market.
3. VAT reduction for resilient and sustainable PV modules and products along the value chain in residential sector.
4. Competitive industrial electricity prices across the EU PV value chain.
5. Energy security measures for the inverters deployed in the EU market.

Additional policy measures necessary

Although the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) can deliver positive impact to European solar PV manufacturing capacities, ESMC stresses that there is an urgent necessity for the EU to develop additional policy measures to address the challenges of EU PV manufacturing.

ESMC is requesting concrete measures and actions to link the objectives of already created frameworks, like NZIA and the European Solar Charter, with the real competitive, resilient and sustainable PV manufacturing capacities in the EU.

The European PV manufacturing industry is the perfect candidate to be the part of a new Clean Industrial Deal for competitive industries and quality jobs — the vision of the President of the Commission presented in the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission in 2024–2029. (hcn)

Source link