![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/solar-inverter-security.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
SolarQuotes has been receiving enquiries about a Reuters story published last week alleging the discovery of undocumented communication devices found in Chinese solar inverters and batteries in the USA. Is it something for Australian home solar owners to be worried about?<\/p>\n
It’s been interesting watching this story repeated around the web with increasingly frantic headlines, such as:<\/p>\n
“Revealed: China has secretly installed kill switches in solar panels sold to the West – which could see Beijing plunge its enemies into darkness in the event of WW3”.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That’s quite a headline \u2014 almost long enough to be a story on its own and an interesting variation on the original<\/a>, which was:<\/p>\n
“Rogue communication devices found in Chinese solar power inverters”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
What’s This All About?<\/h2>\n
The Reuters report claims communication devices not listed in product documents have been found in some Chinese solar inverters and batteries by U.S experts.<\/p>\n
“The rogue components provide additional, undocumented communication channels that could allow firewalls to be circumvented remotely, with potentially catastrophic consequences, the two people said,” states the report.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In such a scenario, solar inverters<\/a> could potentially be switched off remotely or have their settings changed. It’s not a major threat if this happens to a small number of units, but electricity grids are finely tuned beasts and such an action en masse could destabilise power grids, cause damage to energy infrastructure, and trigger widespread blackouts.<\/p>\n
But there’s some really important information missing from the report:<\/p>\n
\n
- Who these “experts” that allegedly found the devices are.<\/li>\n
- How many inverters\/batteries were found to have these alleged rogue communication devices.<\/li>\n
- Whether this was gear only associated with utility-scale applications.<\/li>\n
- The manufacturers involved.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The U.S. government hasn’t publicly acknowledged the alleged discoveries. So, there’s nothing concrete on this, the sources are anonymous, and the claims vague.<\/p>\n
This doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened, but there’s also a bigger picture. Let’s say these allegations came from government sources. There are all sorts of reasons why US energy officials might be casting aspersions around Chinese tech (and renewables in particular) right now aside from the ongoing adversarial nature of the relationship between the two countries.<\/p>\n
It’s no secret US President Donald Trump, who has an interesting take on truth generally, wants more fossil fuels and more local manufacturing. He’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen regardless of the fallout or who is impacted along the way.<\/p>\n
In terms of manufacturing, it’s not only foreign companies he’s targeting, but local firms manufacturing overseas too \u2014 and not necessarily just in China. An example of the latter is a recent conversation he had with Apple CEO Tim Cook.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,\u201d Trump said<\/a>. \u201cI said to him, \u2018my friend, I treated you very good. You\u2019re coming here with $500 billion, but now I hear you\u2019re building all over India.\u2019 I don\u2019t want you building in India.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Nice little company you’ve got there Tim, be a real shame if something happened to it.<\/p>\n
Home Solar Security<\/h2>\n
The Reuters report is somewhat of a nothing-burger as it currently stands; but something good to come from it is Australian solar power system owners getting interested in\/concerned about (or unfortunately, panicky in some cases) cybersecurity related issues.<\/p>\n
Here are a couple of related articles from the SolarQuotes blog worth taking a look at:<\/p>\n
\n
- Is \u201cNot-Made-In-China\u201d A Safer Bet For Your Solar Battery?<\/a><\/li>\n
- How To Protect Your Solar Inverter From Hackers<\/a> (quite old, but still relevant)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
While state-sponsored bad actors and companies kowtowing to governments are a genuine risk to solar security, non-government backed criminal organisations and the bored kids down the road who have a bit of tech nous are a threat as well. It’s not only “rogue communications devices” of concern, but just plain old security flaws resulting from human error; and systems not being patched with the fixes \u2014 that’s not confined to solar gear from China.<\/p>\n
Is your internet-connected inverter’s\/battery’s firmware up-to-date? It’s worth checking your device’s interface, or with your installer as they often have access as well for troubleshooting purposes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SolarQuotes has been receiving enquiries about a Reuters story published last week alleging the discovery of undocumented communication devices found in Chinese solar inverters and batteries in the USA. Is it something for Australian home solar owners to be worried about?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":92194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[678],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-battery-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Solar Inverter Security Scare: Rogue Tech Or Political Theatre?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Recent Reuters story alleges discovery of undocumented communication devices in Chinese solar inverters. Is it something to be worried about?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Solar Inverter Security Scare: Rogue Tech Or Political Theatre?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recent Reuters story alleges discovery of undocumented communication devices in Chinese solar inverters. Is it something to be worried about?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SolarQuotes Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-21T20:27:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/solar-inverter-security.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Bloch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Bloch\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1\"},\"headline\":\"Solar Inverter Security Scare: Rogue Tech Or Political Theatre?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-21T20:27:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":710,\"commentCount\":18,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/solar-inverter-security.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"General Solar & Storage News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\\\/\",\"name\":\"Solar Inverter Security Scare: Rogue Tech Or Political Theatre?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/solar-inverter-security.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-21T20:27:32+00:00\",\"description\":\"Recent Reuters story alleges discovery of undocumented communication devices in Chinese solar inverters. Is it something to be worried about?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/solar-inverter-security.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/solar-inverter-security.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"A Chinese solar inverter\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"General Solar & Storage News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/solar-battery-news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Solar Inverter Security Scare: Rogue Tech Or Political Theatre?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes Blog\",\"description\":\"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"width\":592,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"SolarQuotes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/SolarQuotes\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/solar_quotes\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/solarquotes\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/au.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/solarquotes\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/SolarQuotesAustralia\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1\",\"name\":\"Michael Bloch\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Michael Bloch\"},\"description\":\"Michael caught the solar power bug after purchasing components to cobble together a small off-grid PV system in 2008. He's been reporting on Australian and international solar energy news ever since.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/michael\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Solar Inverter Security Scare: Rogue Tech Or Political Theatre?","description":"Recent Reuters story alleges discovery of undocumented communication devices in Chinese solar inverters. Is it something to be worried about?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Solar Inverter Security Scare: Rogue Tech Or Political Theatre?","og_description":"Recent Reuters story alleges discovery of undocumented communication devices in Chinese solar inverters. Is it something to be worried about?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/","og_site_name":"SolarQuotes Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","article_published_time":"2025-05-21T20:27:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/solar-inverter-security.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Michael Bloch","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@solar_quotes","twitter_site":"@solar_quotes","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/"},"author":{"name":"Michael Bloch","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1"},"headline":"Solar Inverter Security Scare: Rogue Tech Or Political Theatre?","datePublished":"2025-05-21T20:27:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/"},"wordCount":710,"commentCount":18,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/solar-inverter-security.jpg","articleSection":["General Solar & Storage News"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/","name":"Solar Inverter Security Scare: Rogue Tech Or Political Theatre?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/solar-inverter-security.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-21T20:27:32+00:00","description":"Recent Reuters story alleges discovery of undocumented communication devices in Chinese solar inverters. Is it something to be worried about?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/solar-inverter-security.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/solar-inverter-security.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"A Chinese solar inverter"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-batteries-inverters-security-mb3186\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"General Solar & Storage News","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Solar Inverter Security Scare: Rogue Tech Or Political Theatre?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","name":"SolarQuotes Blog","description":"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization","name":"SolarQuotes","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","width":592,"height":600,"caption":"SolarQuotes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/","https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1","name":"Michael Bloch","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Michael Bloch"},"description":"Michael caught the solar power bug after purchasing components to cobble together a small off-grid PV system in 2008. He's been reporting on Australian and international solar energy news ever since.","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/michael\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/solar-inverter-security.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-nYZ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":100026,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/best-solar-panels-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":92193,"position":0},"title":"Best Solar Panels In Australia 2026: Installer’s Choice Awards","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"June 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=w3Ch1fW_PCo Every year, we survey SolarQuotes installers about their favourite solar panel. For the 2026 edition of the Installer's Choice Awards, we asked them: \"If you were putting solar panels on your own roof today, which brand would you choose? Not the house of a customer. Not a display home.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Panels"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Panels","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-panels-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"2026 SolarQuotes Installer's Choice Awards - best solar panels","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-awards-solar-panels.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-awards-solar-panels.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-awards-solar-panels.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-awards-solar-panels.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-awards-solar-panels.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100266,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/virtual-energy-network-trial\/","url_meta":{"origin":92193,"position":1},"title":"Virtual Energy Network Trial Delivers Higher Solar Returns","author":"Kim Wainwright","date":"July 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A three-year Australian trial involving almost 300 households has found participants paid less for imported electricity, earned more from their solar exports and became more confident the energy system was working fairly. The households weren't part of a laboratory experiment. They were real customers using retailer Energy Locals and the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Energy Efficiency"","block_context":{"text":"Energy Efficiency","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/energy-efficiency\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Virtual energy network study","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/virtual-energy-network-study.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/virtual-energy-network-study.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/virtual-energy-network-study.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/virtual-energy-network-study.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/virtual-energy-network-study.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100260,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-sharer-angry\/","url_meta":{"origin":92193,"position":2},"title":"I Thought Soccer Parents Were Angry. Then Solar Sharer Happened.","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"July 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Up until last week, the angriest Australians I'd ever experienced were the parents at under-10s soccer. I was the ref. Not because I know anything about soccer. Because nobody else would put their hand up, even though half those parents were dyed-in-the-wool soccer tragics. I was raised on rugby league.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Electricity Prices"","block_context":{"text":"Electricity Prices","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/electricity-prices\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"kids playing soccer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/soccer-game.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/soccer-game.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/soccer-game.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/soccer-game.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/soccer-game.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/soccer-game.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100156,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/best-solar-inverters-2026-installers-choice-awards\/","url_meta":{"origin":92193,"position":3},"title":"Best Solar Inverters In Australia 2026: Installer’s Choice Awards","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"July 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"We recently kicked off the SolarQuotes Installer's Choice Awards with the solar panel brands installers would choose for their own homes. This week, we're turning our attention to the inverter \u2014 the box on the wall that converts DC solar power into the 230 volts AC your home uses. What\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Inverters"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Inverters","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-inverters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SolarQuotes Installer's Choice Awards 2026 - Inverters","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-awards-inverters.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-awards-inverters.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-awards-inverters.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-awards-inverters.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-awards-inverters.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100636,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-sharer-plans-compared\/","url_meta":{"origin":92193,"position":4},"title":"Solar Sharer Plans Compared: Three Free Hours, At A Cost","author":"Jacob Boyd","date":"July 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"From the start of this month, most energy retailers are required to offer plans offering three free hours of daytime electricity. We've put three Solar Sharer offers under the microscope to see the devil in the detail - just how much extra customers will be paying in daily supply charges\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Electricity Prices"","block_context":{"text":"Electricity Prices","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/electricity-prices\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/agl-vs-origin-vs-red-energy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/agl-vs-origin-vs-red-energy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/agl-vs-origin-vs-red-energy.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/agl-vs-origin-vs-red-energy.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/agl-vs-origin-vs-red-energy.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100700,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cer-crackdown-dodgy-solar-fake-selfies\/","url_meta":{"origin":92193,"position":5},"title":"Regulator Crackdown On Dodgy Solar Installs & Fake Selfies","author":"Jacob Boyd","date":"July 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) has suspended 21 solar companies from the small-scale solar rebate scheme, moved to ban a retailer for falsely claiming installations were complete, and issued a warning to installers over fake verification photos. Why Did The CER Suspend Solar Companies? All 21 companies have been permanently\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Installation"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Installation","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-installation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar inspector giving a thumbs down for a battery or solar installation.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/21-Solar-Companies-Suspended-as-CER-Targets-Incomplete-Installations.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/21-Solar-Companies-Suspended-as-CER-Targets-Incomplete-Installations.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/21-Solar-Companies-Suspended-as-CER-Targets-Incomplete-Installations.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/21-Solar-Companies-Suspended-as-CER-Targets-Incomplete-Installations.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/21-Solar-Companies-Suspended-as-CER-Targets-Incomplete-Installations.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92193"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92201,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92193\/revisions\/92201"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}