“Kill Switches” - ORIGINAL CONTENT

Recently a Dutch “white hat” hacker demonstrated that the Chinese solar collector systems installed in the UK could be interfered with remotely, either caused to cease functioning temporarily or potentially destroyed. Examination of system components determined that the Chinese manufacturers of the power inverters used to convert the DC output of solar and wind generation systems to AC had installed cellular radio addressable “kill switches” in their products.

Examination of renewable generation systems installed in the US including Chinese components revealed the presence of “kill switches” in the US systems as well. At the current penetration rate of Chinese renewable generation equipment in the US market, these “kill switches” represent a potentially expensive nuisance. However, as the renewable generation system share of electric generation increased and the US became more dependent on renewable generation and battery storage, these “kill switches” could become a significant national security risk.

The Trump Administration’s actions on numerous fronts will likely slow the adoption of renewable generation and battery storage in the US market and delay the potential security risk. This will also provide time for the existing systems to be examined and any “kill switches” removed. It is also likely that the Administration would ban the installation of Chinese renewable generation equipment or require a thorough inspection of all Chinese provided components to assure that there are no “kill switches” installed in any of the components.

US government agencies are prohibited from purchasing electronic equipment produced in China or containing components produced in China. The concern has not historically been for operational interference as much as for intelligence gathering, particularly of sensitive national defense intelligence. The recent supply chain interruptions and constraints have created serious issues for many US suppliers of electronic equipment since, in many cases, the only available source of certain essential electronic components was China.

The UK and the EU have expressed concerns regarding the potential installation of equipment used for spying in Chinese produced electric vehicles and have restricted access of these vehicles to military bases and other potentially sensitive locations. The extensive electronics installed in modern vehicles and the external sensors they support represent fertile opportunities to incorporate spying functionality.

China has made no secret of its continuing interest in and focus on global domination. It has used its “Belt and Road Initiative” to establish influence on and dependency of African nations with large deposits of rare earth minerals to expand their control over their supply. Its reliance on low-cost coal power generation, prison and slave labor has allowed it to undercut the prices of metals and cement in world markets, driving the production of these materials from Western nations, especially in the UK and the EU.

While the UK, EU, Canada and Australia have continued to pursue Net zero by 2050, China has continued to pursue additional coal generation capacity and increase its share of world markets at their expense. The Trump Administration has moved aggressively to reverse that trend in the US with significant success.