INTERNACIONAL
Hidden communications devices found in Chinese solar power inverters spark security alarm
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.
CHINESE OFFICIALS CLAIMED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS PRC PLAYED ROLE IN US CYBERATTACKS: REPORT
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.
Reuters was unable to determine how many solar power inverters and batteries they have looked at.
Solar panels are arrayed on Earth Day in Northfield, Massachusetts, on April 22, 2022. (Reuters/Brian Snyder/File Photo)
The rogue components provide additional, undocumented communication channels that could allow firewalls to be circumvented remotely, with potentially catastrophic consequences, the two people said.
Both declined to be named because they did not have permission to speak to the media.
«We know that China believes there is value in placing at least some elements of our core infrastructure at risk of destruction or disruption,» said Mike Rogers, a former director of the U.S. National Security Agency. «I think that the Chinese are, in part, hoping that the widespread use of inverters limits the options that the West has to deal with the security issue.»
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said: «We oppose the generalization of the concept of national security, distorting and smearing China’s infrastructure achievements.»
Using the rogue communication devices to skirt firewalls and switch off inverters remotely, or change their settings, could destabilize power grids, damage energy infrastructure, and trigger widespread blackouts, experts said.
«That effectively means there is a built-in way to physically destroy the grid,» one of the people said,
The two people declined to name the Chinese manufacturers of the inverters and batteries with extra communication devices, nor say how many they had found in total.
The existence of the rogue devices has not previously been reported. The U.S. government has not publicly acknowledged the discoveries.
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.
Work is ongoing to address any gaps in disclosures through «Software Bill of Materials» – or inventories of all the components that make up a software application – and other contractual requirements, the spokesperson said.
Trusted Equipment
As U.S.-China tensions escalate, the U.S. and others are reassessing China’s role in strategic infrastructure because of concerns about potential security vulnerabilities, two former government officials said.
«The threat we face from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is real and growing. Whether it’s telecom hacks or remotely accessing solar and battery inverters, the CCP stops at nothing to target our sensitive infrastructure and components,» said U.S. Representative August Pfluger, a Republican member of the Committee on Homeland Security.
«It is about time we ramp up our efforts to show China that compromising us will no longer be acceptable,» he told Reuters.
Chinese energy infrastructure plays a large role in the power grids of many European countries. (Reuters/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo)
In February, two U.S. Senators introduced the Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act, banning the Department of Homeland Security from purchasing batteries from some Chinese entities, starting October 2027, due to national security concerns.
The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on March 11 and has yet to be enacted.
THE REAL BREAKTHROUGH IN U.S.–CHINA TRADE TALKS IS MUCH BIGGER THAN JUST TARIFFS
It aims to prevent Homeland Security from procuring batteries from six Chinese companies Washington says are closely linked to the Chinese Communist Party: Contemporary Amperex Technology Company (CATL), BYD Company, Envision Energy, EVE Energy Company, Hithium Energy Storage Technology Company, and Gotion High-tech Company.
None of the companies responded to requests for comment.
Utilities are now preparing for similar bans on Chinese inverter manufacturers, three people with knowledge of the matter said.
Some utilities, including Florida’s largest power supplier, Florida Power & Light Company, are attempting to minimize the use of Chinese inverters by sourcing equipment from elsewhere, according to two people familiar with the matter. FPL did not respond to requests for comment.
The DOE spokesperson said: «As more domestic manufacturing takes hold, DOE is working across the federal government to strengthen U.S. supply chains, providing additional opportunities to integrate trusted equipment into the power grid.»
‘Catastrophic Implications’
Huawei is the world’s largest supplier of inverters, accounting for 29% of shipments globally in 2022, followed by Chinese peers Sungrow and Ginlong Solis, according to consultancy Wood Mackenzie.
German solar developer 1Komma5 said, however, that it avoids Huawei inverters, because of the brand’s associations with security risks.
«Ten years ago, if you switched off the Chinese inverters, it would not have caused a dramatic thing to happen to European grids, but now the critical mass is much larger,» 1Komma5 Chief Executive Philipp Schroeder said.
«China’s dominance is becoming a bigger issue because of the growing renewables capacity on Western grids and the increased likelihood of a prolonged and serious confrontation between China and the West,» he said.
Since 2019, the U.S. has restricted Huawei’s access to U.S. technology, accusing the company of activities contrary to national security, which Huawei denies.
CHINESE IMPORTS TO US PLUMMET TO LOWEST LEVELS SINCE PANDEMIC AMID TRUMP TARIFFS
Chinese companies are required by law to cooperate with China’s intelligence agencies, giving the government potential control over Chinese-made inverters connected to foreign grids, experts said.
While Huawei decided to leave the U.S. inverter market in 2019 – the year its 5G telecoms equipment was banned – it remains a dominant supplier elsewhere.
Huawei declined to comment.
In Europe, exercising control over just 3 to 4 gigawatts of energy could cause widespread disruption to electricity supplies, experts said.
The European Solar Manufacturing Council estimates over 200 GW of European solar power capacity is linked to inverters made in China – equivalent to more than 200 nuclear power plants.
At the end of last year, there was 338 GW of installed solar power in Europe, according to industry association SolarPower Europe.
«If you remotely control a large enough number of home solar inverters, and do something nefarious at once, that could have catastrophic implications to the grid for a prolonged period of time,» said Uri Sadot, cybersecurity program director at Israeli inverter manufacturer SolarEdge.
Strategic Dependencies
Other countries such as Lithuania and Estonia acknowledge the threats to energy security. In November, the Lithuanian government passed a law blocking remote Chinese access to solar, wind and battery installations above 100 kilowatts – by default restricting the use of Chinese inverters.
Energy minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas said this could be extended to smaller rooftop solar installations.
Estonia’s Director General of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Kaupo Rosin, said the country could be at risk of blackmail from China if it did not ban Chinese technology in crucial parts of the economy, such as solar inverters.
Estonia’s Ministries of Defense and Climate declined to comment when asked if they had taken any action.
In Britain, the government’s review of Chinese renewable energy technology in the energy system – due to be concluded in the coming months – includes looking at inverters, a person familiar with the matter said.
In November, solar power inverters in the U.S. and elsewhere were disabled from China, highlighting the risk of foreign influence over local electricity supplies and causing concern among government officials, three people familiar with the matter said.
Reuters was unable to determine how many inverters were switched off, or the extent of disruption to grids. The DOE declined to comment on the incident.
Plants grow through an array of solar panels in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on May 6, 2022. (Reuters/Brian Snyder/File Photo)
The incident led to a commercial dispute between inverter suppliers Sol-Ark and Deye, the people said.
«Sol-Ark does not comment on vendor relationships, including any relationship with Deye, nor does it have any control over inverters that are not branded Sol-Ark, as was the case in the November 2024 situation you referenced,» a Sol-Ark spokesperson said.
Deye did not respond to requests for comment.
The energy sector is trailing other industries such as telecoms and semiconductors, where regulations have been introduced in Europe and the U.S. to mitigate China’s dominance.
Security analysts say this is partly because decisions about whether to secure energy infrastructure are mostly dictated by the size of any installation.
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Household solar or battery storage systems fall below thresholds where security requirements typically kick-in, they said, despite now contributing a significant share of power on many Western grids.
NATO, the 32-country Western security alliance, said China’s efforts to control member states’ critical infrastructure – including inverters – were intensifying.
«We must identify strategic dependencies and take steps to reduce them,» said a NATO official.
INTERNACIONAL
Una presentadora generada por Inteligencia Artificial condujo un documental en un canal británico: «No existo», dijo al final
Este lunes por la tarde, la cadena pública británica Channel 4 emitió una provocadora demostración del futuro laboral al poner al aire un documental bajo la conducción de una presentadora generada íntegramente por inteligencia artificial (IA). Este audaz experimento, parte del programa de investigación Dispatches, reabrió el debate global sobre el impacto ético y económico de la IA en el periodismo.
La presentadora virtual, llamada Aisha Gaban, una mujer morena de cabello hasta los hombros y aspecto hiperrealista, abrió el programa, titulado «¿Me quitará la IA mi trabajo?», con un mensaje directo a la audiencia: «La IA afectará la vida de todos en los próximos años. Y a algunos, les hará perder sus trabajos». Y, en un giro meta-narrativo, se incluyó a sí misma: «¿Empleados de call center? ¿Agentes de servicio al cliente? Quizás incluso presentadoras de televisión, como yo».
Solo al final del documental, que exploró las transformaciones del trabajo en sectores como el derecho, la música, la moda y la medicina, Gaban reveló su naturaleza digital. «No existo», dijo simplemente, afirmando ser la primera presentadora generada por IA en la televisión británica. «No estuve en los lugares para cubrir la noticia. Mi imagen y mi voz se generaron mediante inteligencia artificial», explicó, a pesar de haber aparecido en diversas locaciones a lo largo del metraje.
El experimento de Channel 4, si bien fue un truco concebido para alertar sobre la disrupción tecnológica, generó un comunicado de la jefa de noticias del canal, Louisa Compton, que subraya la postura crítica de los medios tradicionales. Compton aseguró que «usar un presentador generado por IA no es algo que vayamos a adoptar regularmente en Channel 4″.
«Al contrario, nuestra prioridad sigue siendo un periodismo de calidad, verificado, imparcial y digno de confianza, algo que la IA no es capaz de ofrecer», añadió Compton. La cadena reconoció que la experiencia es un «útil recordatorio del potencial disruptivo de la IA y de la facilidad con la que puede engañar a la audiencia con contenido que no tiene forma de verificar». Esta preocupación ética es central en la industria, donde la mayoría de las audiencias, según encuestas recientes, desconfía de las noticias generadas principalmente por algoritmos sin intervención humana.
El uso de la IA en la televisión como presentador visible no es completamente nuevo, aunque sigue siendo minoritario. Desde 2018, la agencia de noticias oficial china, Xinhua, ha utilizado versiones digitales de sus presentadores habituales para emitir noticias las 24 horas del día. Más recientemente, figuras de IA han debutado en noticieros de India, Kuwait, Tailandia y otras naciones de Asia, a menudo con el argumento de optimizar costos y ofrecer transmisiones ininterrumpidas.
Sin embargo, en el periodismo, la IA se emplea mayoritariamente “detrás de escena”.
Generación de contenido rápido: Sistemas automatizados, como el utilizado por Los Angeles Times para informar instantáneamente sobre terremotos (Quakepot), o el Cyborg de Bloomberg News para analizar informes financieros y redactar notas basadas en hechos y cifras.
Verificación y fact-checking: Herramientas de IA que ayudan a los periodistas a verificar informaciones, detectar noticias falsas y diferenciar discursos de odio, un uso respaldado por organismos como la UNESCO.
Tareas de soporte: Uso de software de IA como asistente editorial para revisar gramática, generar emails y realizar borradores, optimizando el tiempo del reportero.
La controversia, sin embargo, se profundiza no solo con los presentadores virtuales, sino con la generación de contenido engañoso (deepfakes) y la sustitución de escritores humanos. La misma tecnología que creó a Aisha Gaban fue la que en septiembre generó indignación en Hollywood con la aparición de Tilly Norwood, una actriz creada por IA con la ambición de ser «la próxima Scarlett Johansson o Natalie Portman», lo que plantea serios desafíos para la propiedad intelectual y los puestos de trabajo creativos.
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FIRST ON FOX – A former longtime Navy SEAL and fifth-generation Kentucky farmer who is backed by President Donald Trump on Tuesday declared his candidacy in the state’s 4th Congressional District, as he challenges Republican Rep. Thomas Massie in next year’s GOP primary.
«I’ve dedicated my life to serving my country, and I’m ready to answer the call again,» Ed Gallrein said in a statement shared first with Fox News Digital.
And pointing to Massie, a frequent GOP critic of the president during his second term in the White House, Gallrein emphasized, «This district is Trump Country. The President doesn’t need obstacles in Congress – he needs backup. I’ll defeat Thomas Massie, stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump, and deliver the America First results Kentuckians voted for.»
The campaign launch comes four days after Trump took to social media to praise Gallrein, urge him to run, and blast Massie.
MAVERICK HOUSE REPUBLICAN CASHES IN ON TRUMP’S ATTACKS
Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, arrives for a news conference outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025 (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump argued that Massie was a «Third Rate Congressman,» a «Weak and Pathetic RINO,» and a «totally ineffective LOSER who has failed us so badly.»
And the president applauded Gallrein, calling him a «Brave Combat Veteran» and a «very successful Businessman» who, if elected to Congress, would «fight tirelessly to Keep our now very Secure Border, SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.»
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Trump’s social media post included a photo of himself and Gallrein holding red MAGA hats in the Oval Office.
Gallrein served three decades in uniform, rising to the rank of Captain. According to his campaign bio, he served multiple times on SEAL Team SIX, deploying to Panama, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and earned four Bronze Stars and two Presidential Unit Citations.
Ed Gallrein, left, seen with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, on Tuesday launched a congressional bid to primary challenge Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Gallrein’s campaign launch comes four days after Trump backed him and urged him to run. (Ed Gallrein congressional campaign)
His campaign release also highlighted that «Gallrein’s roots run deep in Kentucky.» He was born and raised in the state. And his family, which has farmed for over a century, built Kentucky’s largest dairy farm and Gallrein Grain Farms, one of the state’s largest grain operations.
Massie took aim at Gallrein following Trump’s social media endorsement, calling him a «failed candidate and establishment hack,» as he pointed to Gallrein’s unsuccessful run last year for the state Senate.
MASSIE FIRES BACK AFTER JOHNSON CALLS HIS EPSTEIN RECORDS PUSH ‘MEANINGLESS’
«After having been rejected by every elected official in the 4th District, Trump’s consultants clearly pushed the panic button with their choice of failed candidate and establishment hack Ed Gallrein,» Massie said in a statement to Politico. «Ed’s been begging them to pick him for over three months now.»
Trump started targeting Massie for ouster earlier this year over the seven-term lawmaker’s opposition to the «One Big Beautiful Bill,» which passed the GOP-controlled Congress early in the summer nearly entirely along party lines. The sweeping GOP megalaw is the president’s major legislative achievement since returning to the White House.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) during a news conference with alleged victims of disgraced financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein outside the U.S. Capitol on September 3, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Massie is also leading the push, along with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, in forcing a House floor vote to urge the release of the Justice Department’s files on the late convicted sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, a move the White House and House GOP leaders have aimed to counter. Massie is on the verge of reaching the needed 218 signatures to force the vote.
Two top Trump political advisers — 2024 co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita and pollster Tony Fabrizio — in June launched a super PAC that aims to defeat Massie. Nearly $2 million has been spent already to run TV ads targeting Massie.
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But Massie has used the attacks from Trump and his allies to boost fundraising, hauling in more than $750,000 the past three months, which was the best fundraising quarter of his congressional career.
Massie’s district, in the northeastern part of the state, includes Louisville’s eastern suburbs and Cincinnati’s Kentucky suburbs.
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INTERNACIONAL
La Unión Europea acordó adelantar al 2028 la desconexión de las importaciones de hidrocarburos rusos
Los países de la Unión Europea respaldaron el lunes, con la oposición de Eslovaquia y Hungría, la propuesta de la Comisión Europea para adelantar a 2028 la desconexión de la UE de las importaciones de hidrocarburos rusos, normativa que aún tendrá que negociarse con el Parlamento Europeo, que quiere acelerar un año más.
«Se trata de una decisión muy importante“, dijo tras el acuerdo entre los ministros de Energía de los Veintisiete el comisario europeo de Energía y Vivienda, Dan Jørgensen, quien aseguró que el Ejecutivo ayudará en la transición “a todos los Estados miembros, incluidos aquellos que no apoyan la legislación”.
Los Estados miembros, con amplio apoyo y algunas reservas específicas, secundaron la propuesta de la Comisión Europea que, presionada por Estados Unidos, planteó que la UE acabe con los contratos de gas ruso a corto plazo en 2027, y un año después con los acuerdos a largo plazo, tanto por gasoducto como por barco.
El Consejo plantea que las modificaciones de los contratos solo se permitan por razones operativas sin aumentar volúmenes, con algunas flexibilidades para los países sin acceso al mar, y propone simplificar las obligaciones aduaneras con un sistema de autorización previa y exenciones para determinados orígenes.
Las capitales deben negociar ahora con el Parlamento Europeo, que quiere adelantar un año el calendario, con la intención de cerrar el texto antes de fin de año.
Desde la invasión de Ucrania, la UE ha prohibido las compras a Rusia de carbón y de casi todo el petróleo, pero no del gas. No obstante, antes de la guerra la Unión compraba a Moscú el 45% del gas que consumía y ha rebajado ese volumen hasta niveles que actualmente rondan el 13%.
El nuevo paso supone la ruptura total y más rápida de lo previsto, lo que genera inquietud. Grecia apoyó “completamente” la desconexión, pero pidió “medidas para corregir las perturbaciones del mercado”.
En cambio, Eslovaquia, uno de los mayores aliados de Rusia en la UE, votó en contra, argumentando que comprometería su seguridad energética. Lo mismo hizo Hungría, que sostuvo que el petróleo que podría recibir a través de Croacia no sería suficiente y dejaría a Budapest sujeta al “monopolio” de una sola vía de suministro y un tránsito con tasas elevadas, según dijo el titular húngaro Péter Szijjártó.
La posición de Hungría recibió críticas de otros socios, como Croacia, que garantizó que tiene “plena capacidad” de abastecer a Budapest, y Letonia, que cuestionó si hace falta otra “tragedia” para acabar con la dependencia energética de Moscú. Polonia agregó: “No estamos aquí para hablar de matemáticas ni números, aunque sean importantes, sino de valores”.
Otros países, como la presidencia danesa de turno del Consejo, celebraron que el bloque comunitario vaya a “dejar de financiar la máquina de guerra de Rusia” y subrayaron que “la energía que consumimos tiene que alejarse de los combustibles fósiles”.
El acuerdo es “el principio de una transición” hacia una economía descarbonizada, afirmó el ministro de Clima y Energía de Dinamarca, Lars Aagaard. En la misma línea se posicionó España, a través del secretario de Estado de Energía, Joan Groizard, quien destacó que “la energía no puede ser un arma de guerra” y mostró su apoyo al texto porque es “de alcance europeo” y contiene medidas “jurídicamente solventes”.
Groizard agregó que no basta con sustituir la dependencia energética de Rusia por otra: «No se puede dejar que un tercer país esté en disposición de chantajear a Europa en términos energéticos“.
La presidencia danesa señaló que la solución a la dependencia energética llegará a largo plazo con energía renovable autogenerada en la UE, y Jørgensen respaldó esa postura, asegurando que trabajan “muy, muy duro con los Estados miembros para ayudarles de forma que no haya ningún problema de seguridad de suministro ni subidas de precio”.
(Con información de EFE)
Diplomacy / Foreign Policy,Europe,COPENHAGEN
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