European Solar Manufacturing Council Backs EU Economic Security Doctrine Targeting High-Risk Chinese Solar Inverters And Cyber Dependencies

The European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) has welcomed the European Commission’s new Economic Security Doctrine, titled “Strengthening EU Economic Security,” which identifies solar inverters supplied by Chinese manufacturers as a high-risk dependency. The doctrine highlights risks stemming from supplier concentration, potential cyber manipulation, and access to critical grid operational data. It outlines measures such as coordinated NIS2 cyber-risk assessments in 2026, certification under the Cyber Resilience Act, and the application of Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) non-price resilience criteria.

ESMC fully supports this strategic shift, noting that around 80% of new photovoltaic (PV) installations in Europe rely on Chinese inverters, with just two suppliers dominating the market. This creates systemic cybersecurity risks, as firmware or software updates from these vendors could simultaneously impact millions of installations, potentially causing significant disruptions to the European power system, including large-scale blackouts. Christoph Podewils, Secretary General of ESMC, emphasized that the security doctrine serves as a wake-up call for EU member states, highlighting the urgent need to reduce dependencies and mitigate cyber risks.

The Council particularly supports the Commission’s plan to “support the development of trusted suppliers of critical subcomponents in the EU and in trusted third countries,” creating viable alternatives and reducing structural dependencies. ESMC also stresses that European and other Western manufacturers remain at the technological forefront and have the manufacturing capacity to meet 100% of Europe’s solar demand.

To strengthen the EU’s solar ecosystem, ESMC calls for several actions: establishing an EU-level whitelist of trustworthy inverter vendors based on cybersecurity and jurisdictional risk criteria; integrating this list into NIS2, the ICT supply-chain toolbox, NZIA Articles 25–28, and relevant EU network codes; enabling member states to deny grid connections to hardware from high-risk vendors; applying NZIA support schemes to incentivize secure inverter choices; and enforcing the Foreign Subsidies Regulation to counter distortive subsidized imports. ESMC emphasizes that a resilient European renewable energy system requires cyber-secure, European-made technologies and stands ready to support the European Commission, ENISA, and member states in implementing the new economic-security framework across the solar PV value chain.

In line with this mission, ESMC has established the “Inverter, Storage and Energy Management Systems Forum,” bringing together leading Western and European manufacturers. The Forum aims to enhance Europe’s energy security and strategic autonomy by promoting a resilient, competitive, and cyber-secure ecosystem of inverter, storage, and energy management system technologies. These digital components are critical to the energy system and must be trustworthy, transparent, and protected from technical and non-technical risks, including firmware updates, remote-access vulnerabilities, supply-chain dependencies, governance structures, ownership influences, and overall trustworthiness.

The Forum engages with EU and national authorities, develops industry positions, and contributes to ongoing EU initiatives such as the NZIA, Cyber Resilience Act, Cyber Security Act, NIS2, and other energy security measures. Its objectives include promoting high cybersecurity standards, secure-by-design technology, and diversified Western supply chains to reduce reliance on dominant suppliers. The Forum advocates for reliability, accountability, and the long-term trustworthiness of entities interacting with Europe’s critical energy infrastructure.

Open to ESMC members and eligible Western non-members, the Forum collaborates with grid operators, energy security agencies, standardization bodies, and other stakeholders, while actively participating in EU forums to strengthen Europe’s digital and energy resilience. Its founding members include Enphase Energy, Fronius International, Ingeteam, Kostal, Power Electronics, SMA Solar Technology, SolarEdge, Tesvolt, and Vector Energy.