Avoidance of solar inverters in Southern Europe

Could inverters destabilize Europe's power grid?

Thousands of inverters, acting in sync, could ripple distortions across Europe’s power grid and destabilize entire regions. Considering the significance of these risks, Europe can no longer afford to treat clean energy as geopolitically neutral. Defusing the hidden risks requires action in at least four areas: 1.

What happens if a solar inverter fails?

Tens or hundreds of thousands of inverters could be disabled by remote command. Within seconds, gigawatts of solar generation would vanish from the power grid. Europe’s transmission system can typically absorb a sudden 2-to-5-gigawatt loss without falling apart. Push beyond 10 gigawatts, and you risk cascading failures.

Should solar inverters be considered a critical infrastructure?

Recognize Solar as Critical Infrastructure: Solar inverters are active participants in grid stability. From a cybersecurity perspective, they must no longer be treated as low-risk consumer electronics; instead, strict cybersecurity standards must be applied by design. 2.

Where do solar inverters come from?

Despite years of debate about supply chain resilience, more than 70 percent of world’s solar inverters come from Chinese manufacturers. The three biggest players – Huawei, Sungrow, and Ginlong Solis – are all Chinese.