A new report suggests the U.S. power grid may be sitting on a digital time bomb, alleging that federal officials sidelined warnings about the national security risks of Chinese-made solar components during the Biden administration.
According to The Washington Post, citing research from Strider Technologies, the United States’ heavy reliance on Chinese-manufactured inverters—devices that connect solar panels and wind turbines to the grid—has created a “strategic vulnerability.” Security experts warn that these components could potentially be triggered remotely to spark cascading blackouts or disrupt critical infrastructure.
While Chinese officials have dismissed the concerns as baseless, the report claims the risks were known inside the government. An anonymous U.S. official told the Post that when experts at the Department of Energy (DOE) and national labs raised red flags to senior policymakers under former President Joe Biden, the reception was chilly.
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“They were not excited to hear that clean energy technology made in China could pose a speed bump in the green energy transition,” the official said.
A ‘Strategic Vulnerability’
The core of the concern lies in inverters, the electronic hearts of modern renewable energy systems. Strider Technologies found that over 85 percent of anonymously surveyed utilities use inverters from companies with links to the Chinese government or military. The survey covered roughly 12 percent of the United States’ installed capacity.
The report paints a stark picture of the potential consequences. Greg Levesque, CEO of Strider, used a grim metaphor to describe the situation: “The capability is there; the gun is loaded. Now we are debating whether they will pull the trigger and what the impact would be.”
Those impacts could ripple far beyond simple power outages. Thomas Fanning, former chairman and CEO of Southern Company, noted that a successful exploit could compromise other vital sectors, including finance and communications networks.
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Probing the Defenses
The investigation highlights that this may be more than a theoretical risk. Strider’s researchers pointed to thousands of Chinese research publications studying grid attacks and vulnerabilities, noting that hundreds appear highly relevant to the specific architecture of the U.S. grid. Furthermore, there is evidence suggesting Chinese engineers have actively probed the American grid for weak points.
Complicating matters is a 2017 Chinese national security law, which mandates that Chinese companies must assist with state intelligence work if compelled.
“This widespread reliance creates a strategic vulnerability: the Chinese government… could exploit this access to manipulate or disrupt the U.S. grid in a crisis,” the report states.
Official Responses
The current Department of Energy acknowledged the ongoing assessment of these risks. A spokesperson said that while the agency continually evaluates emerging technologies, the previous administration’s approach had left the system vulnerable.
“While the Biden administration made our grid less secure and reliable, the Trump Administration is committed to reducing dependence on foreign supply chains and advancing affordable, reliable and secure energy access to the American people,” the spokesperson said.
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This follows earlier reporting from Reuters in May, which indicated officials were already scrambling to reassess risks after “rogue communication devices” were reportedly discovered within solar energy components.
The anonymous official cautioned that a bad actor wouldn’t need to take down the whole grid to cause chaos.
“You don’t need to turn off the entire western area power
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