The US Department of Energy (DoE) is investigating Chinese-made solar power inverters after some were found to contain communication devices not listed in the product specifications.

There are fears that these devices could be used to switch off solar panels remotely, and there is speculation that this may have been behind the recent blackout in Spain and Portugal (www.iotm2mcouncil.org/iot-library/news/smart-energy-news/spain-blackout-warning-to-europes-grid-operators).

The manufacturer of these devices has not been named nor has there been any disclosure about how many devices the US DoE has looked at.

The fear is that these communication devices could be used to bypass firewalls and thus lead to security risks.

All but one of the top ten solar panel makers worldwide are based in China. The largest manufacturer is Shanghai-based JinkoSolar (www.jinkosolar.com), which also has factories in Malaysia, Vietnam and the USA.

IMC Smart Energy News contacted the US DoE for more information, and a spokesperson replied: “DoE continually assesses risk associated with emerging technologies for the energy sector. It is critical for those procuring to have a full understanding of the capabilities of the products received.”