The rush to net zero could leave gaping holes for Chinese-backed hackers to disrupt Australia’s energy grid, warns Senator James Paterson.
Solar power is a key pillar in the march towards reducing emissions with Australia estimated to need 2.7 billion solar panels to reach net zero by 2050, according to estimates from the University of Queensland and Circular PV Alliance (pdf).
An intrinsic part of using solar power is the installation of “smart inverters,” which connect panels to the electricity grid that can be controlled remotely over the internet.
Currently, 60 percent of Australia’s smart inverters are supplied by Chinese manufacturers Sungrow, Goodwe, and Huawei, which was banned from supplying 5G equipment to the country’s future telecommunications network….