You might have seen headlines this week about the Trump Administration banning the importation of humanoid robots. Maybe you even laughed, which is understandable!
But buried in that ban is something far more impactful.
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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has added foreign-made power inverters to its “Covered List” (the government’s roster of gear they consider a national security risk).
Let us explain what those are. Most people, when they see a solar energy system, only see solar panels and have no idea what an inverter is.
An inverter is the box that converts the direct current (DC) produced by solar panels into the alternating current (AC) your home and the grid actually use.
Nothing on a solar or battery system runs without one.
On Tuesday, the Trump Administration banned any brand-new inverter model built outside the United States from getting approved for sale here.
If you’re shopping for a residential solar energy system or a smaller commercial solar energy system, you can take a breath, because this likely won’t affect you. This ban will disproportionately affect utility-scale solar systems (think systems that cover several acres).
The FCC’s stated reason for this ban is cybersecurity. They argue that internet-connected inverters could, in theory, be shut off or remotely monitored from abroad.
It’s worth noting that a Department of Energy review earlier this year inspected 30 Chinese-made inverters and found no evidence of hidden malicious hardware.
Regardless of why the FCC chose to do this, it comes at a strange time.
Millions of Americans currently struggle to pay their electric bills as power prices skyrocket, and solar is the fastest and cheapest energy we can deploy to help bring down prices.
Data centers are demanding huge amounts of power that has to come from somewhere, so intentionally delaying large-scale solar projects is an odd choice.
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If you’re shopping for home solar, this likely won’t affect you. If you’re looking to put solar on a small commercial building, like a school or township, and you’re working with Exact Solar or another Amicus company, you won’t have to worry.
The real pressure will land on utility-scale solar farms, where foreign makers, many of them Chinese, hold about 60% of the inverter market.
Several things remain to be seen here, like whether this applies only to future inverter models or models that have already been manufactured. We’ll continue to monitor the situation.
If you’re interested in knowing how this might affect your desire to go solar, go to exactsolar.com and fill out our free estimate form to talk with our team!
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