Who makes the most solar inverters in Europe?

In 2023, 78% of all inverters installed in Europe came from Chinese vendors, with the overwhelming majority being made by Huawei and SunGrow, according to DNV, a risk consultancy. The report was commissioned by SolarPower Europe, an industry advocacy group.

Are photovoltaic inverters a threat to Europe's energy sovereignty?

“Europe’s energy sovereignty is at serious risk due to the unregulated and remote control capabilities of photovoltaic inverters from high-risk, non-European manufacturers – most notably from China,” said the European Solar Manufacturing Council, an industry association. This isn’t purely hypothetical, either.

Are non-European solar inverters a threat to Europe's Energy Autonomy?

The European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) has issued a stark warning, highlighting a critical threat to Europe’s energy autonomy stemming from the unregulated remote access capabilities of PV inverters produced by non-European, high-risk manufacturers—particularly those from China. A recent study by DNV substantiates these concerns.

Why are Chinese solar inverters so popular?

The report was commissioned by SolarPower Europe, an industry advocacy group. This market dominance can likely be explained by a combination of China’s large manufacturing capacity and the comparatively lower prices of Chinese inverters compared to European ones.

Are Chinese inverters a threat to Europe's remote infrastructure?

ESMC Secretary-General Christoph Podewils warned that Chinese-made inverters, which account for 70% of new European installations in 2023 (with Huawei and Sungrow as dominant suppliers), now power over 200 GW of capacity—equivalent to “more than 200 nuclear plants”—stripping the continent of “critical remote infrastructure oversight.”

Will Lithuania ban Chinese inverters from connecting to European grids?

It has proposed a “Cybersecurity Toolkit” to assess manufacturer risks and called for EU-wide legislation modeled on Lithuania’s 2023 ban, which prohibits Chinese inverters from connecting to European grids.