THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Hidden components in Chinese-made solar power equipment have caused alarm bells in Western capitals amid concerns over Beijing’s ability to interfere with power grids. Europe may be particularly vulnerable, experts say, with most of its solar farms potentially at risk of remote shutdown.
The revelation of undeclared remote access devices in American solar farms, first reported by Reuters earlier this month, came less than a month after a power outage that shut down electricity for millions throughout Spain, Portugal, Andorra and parts of France, highlighting the possible fragility of even highly developed and integrated European power grids.
According to unnamed sources cited by Reuters, the communication devices that were embedded in solar farm gear were not shown on schematics and customer information of the products, suggesting they may have been deliberately concealed. The undisclosed devices were…
