Latest news with #WalburgaHemetsberger
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Unexplained components found in Denmark's energy equipment imports, industry group says
COPENHAGEN, May 21 (Reuters) - Unexplained electronic components have been found in imported equipment for Denmark's energy supply network, industry group Green Power Denmark said on Wednesday, adding that an investigation was underway to learn more. The findings coincide with an increased focus internationally on potential security vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure such as energy grids. "It concerns printed circuit boards that were supposed to be part of components for the energy supply," Jorgen Christensen, technical director at Green Power Denmark, told Reuters. "We don't know how critical it is or whether there are bad intentions behind it," he said. The Danish ministry for preparedness and resilience declined to comment on whether an investigation had been started. The justice ministry, energy ministry and the intelligence service did not reply to Reuters' requests for comment. Christensen declined to specify which country the equipment originated from, who was conducting the investigation or to elaborate on the components' capabilities, including whether they were meant for solar power equipment. "This is highly concerning. It is important that an investigation is underway," Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of solar lobby SolarPower Europe, told Reuters on Wednesday. Christensen said the components were discovered recently during a routine examination of circuit boards that were due to be installed in energy supply equipment. The circuit boards might have been designed for multiple purposes, which could explain the presence of additional components, but Christensen emphasised they should not be included in equipment destined for energy infrastructure. "It's possible the supplier had no malicious intent. We can't say at this point, but that doesn't change the fact that these components shouldn't be there," he said. The findings were first reported by Danish news outlet Berlingske earlier on Wednesday. Reuters last week reported that U.S. energy officials found rogue communication devices in Chinese-made solar inverters and batteries that could potentially bypass firewalls and destabilise power grids.
Euronews
01-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Your rooftop solar panels could be at risk from cyberattacks. Here's how we can fortify the tech
ADVERTISEMENT Solar power experts are warning that tighter controls are needed to stop a cyberattack from devastating the industry. Energy security is in the spotlight in Europe, as attacks on energy infrastructure increase. Solar, while less targeted than traditional energy sources, is not immune to malicious actors. To avoid a dangerous and disruptive event as the continent transitions to a smart system based on renewables, SolarPower Europe has published a report highlighting 'clear remedies' to the potential threat. 'Like any technological revolution, digitalisation presents incredible opportunity, for example, energy system cost savings of €160 billion per year,' says Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of the association which represents hundreds of solar organisations across Europe. Related Fact check: Did wind and solar really cause Portugal and Spain's mass blackout? 'It also comes with new challenges, like cybersecurity. We didn't need anti-virus protection for a typewriter - but we do need it for our laptops. As a responsible, forward-looking sector, we have mapped the cybersecurity challenge, and we're rising to meet it with clear, comprehensive solutions.' The report, written by risk management organisation DNV, comes in the wake of a mass power outage in Spain and Portugal, which some commentators were quick to blame on a cyberattack. While Spanish power company Red Eléctrica and the Portuguese government have now ruled out this possibility, the blackout still emphasises the need for a secure power grid. Are solar systems prone to cyberattacks? Europe's move away from an energy system dependent on a few high-impact targets to a more decentralised system offers clear energy security benefits, the report states. Ukraine has learnt this in a particularly brutal way, following repeated cyberattacks on its power grid by Russia. But to realise these benefits, cybersecurity laws, which focus on old, centralised infrastructure, need to be updated, the experts say. New legislation must address the specific security needs of distributed energy sources, like smaller rooftop solar installations. Though on a much smaller scale than the strikes on other parts of the energy sector, the solar sector has faced attacks and interference, too. In 2023, a group of Romanian solar customers modified mandatory inverter settings - which convert DC electricity generated by panels into the AC electricity used by homes - to disable the voltage-active power function. This function is required by the grid operators to reduce active power at high grid voltage, in order to keep the power system running efficiently and safely. Modifying this grid support function enabled the customers to make more money by not limiting their solar systems during high-voltage events, potentially jeopardising grid integrity as a result. In a more pernicious incident, pro-Russian hacktivist group Just Evil stole credentials for 22 client sites in Lithuania and posted them on the Dark Web last year. This opened up access to the management portal of these solar sites, although access was not used to carry out further attacks on that occasion. Analysing risk, the report found that these large utility-scale solar installations are more secure, since they are often managed by experienced utilities and covered by the EU's Network and Information Security (NIS2) Directive . ADVERTISEMENT Small-scale solar systems, meanwhile, which are often rooftop installations on people's homes or businesses, lack strict cyber rules. They are connected to the clouds of manufacturers, installers, or service providers. And while the impact of compromising a single installation is low, when grouped together for power system efficiency, they become virtual power plants of significant scale. Related Solar balconies are booming in Germany. Here's what you need to know about the popular home tech World surpasses 40% clean electricity with Europe leading as a 'solar superpower' How can solar systems be protected from cyberattacks? The experts propose two overarching solutions to toughen the solar sector's defences. Number one, they say, existing laws on cybersecurity must be made specific enough to cater to the needs of the solar sector . ADVERTISEMENT Secondly, new rules should be formulated that keep the control of solar systems via inverters within the EU or jurisdictions that can provide an equivalent level of security. This is relevant, as the analysis shows that over a dozen Western and non-Western manufacturers control significantly more than 3GW of installed capacity. And a targeted compromise of 3GW generation capacity could have serious implications for Europe's power grid. The report recommends an approach similar to GDPR rules , where control of aggregated distributed devices, like small-scale rooftop solar systems, should only take place in regions judged equivalent in security to the EU. High-risk entities would then be required to develop cyber solutions, which would be monitored and approved by the competent authorities. ADVERTISEMENT
Reuters
10-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
EU expects to add record renewable capacity in 2025, industry sees headwinds
BRUSSELS, April 10 (Reuters) - European Union countries are projected to install a record amount of renewable energy capacity this year, European Commission projections showed, although parts of the sector warned cuts to government support could hamper this growth. EU countries are expected to add 89 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity in 2025, including 70GW of solar and 19GW of wind, according to Commission projections shared with Reuters. The projections are based on industry data. Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here. That would be a record high for annual deployment of both wind and solar. The EU installed 65.5GW of new solar in 2024 and 12.9GW of wind capacity. A fast roll-out of renewable energy is needed for the EU to meet its climate goals, and to displace some gas consumption to help meet the bloc's aim to phase out Russian gas imports by 2027. However, renewables firms are facing headwinds including years-long delays to receive permits. Industry association SolarPower Europe said it may revise downwards its projections for 2025, after France outlined plans in February to cut feed-in-tariff support for rooftop solar panels. "Some big markets have taken significant steps back since the beginning of the year," the group's CEO Walburga Hemetsberger said. "It is looking less and less likely we'll hit 70GW this year." The growth of solar power installations in Europe slumped to 4% last year, having jumped by more than 50% the year before. The EU needs to install roughly 70GW of new solar capacity each year to meet its 2030 green goals. Top wind power developer Orsted has warned the industry in Europe is grappling with higher costs and supply chain disruptions. Industry group WindEurope said in February it expected the EU to add 17.4GW of new wind capacity this year - a 35% increase on last year's new installations.
