Sources say that the US is working on a ban against Chinese energy inverters.

Five?people familiar with the situation' say that the Trump administration is working on a ban of imports of foreign inverters which connect solar panels and batteries to the power grid. They are concerned China may use them to disrupt the supply of electricity.

Sources say that the rule?being drafted? by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission could be published this year and would apply to 'new foreign' inverter models.

Five sources confirmed that the Trump administration had been prompted to revive efforts in part by an EU decision in May banning Chinese inverters in publicly-funded energy projects. However, they warned that the U.S. plan could be altered or dropped altogether.

The FCC and White House refused to comment on the proposed measure. The Chinese Embassy in Washington stated that it "firmly opposes" the "overstretching the concept of national safety and its unjustified suppressing of Chinese companies.

This effort, which was not reported before, is the latest example Washington's renewed, more cautious approach in tackling technology challenges posed by China. It follows a pause that occurred last year when President Donald Trump pursued detente with Beijing.

The Trump administration's approach to China was much more dovish than it had been during President Trump's first term, when faced with Beijing's aggressive use of export controls for rare earth minerals.

China, which is led by Sungrow and Huawei, has been able to grow its market share in Western inverter markets by driving prices down.

U.S. experts, who dismantle equipment connected to grids in order to check for security issues, found rogue communication devices in Chinese solar power inverters last year.

SolarDefend CEO Uri Sadot said that Europe and America have begun to realize the danger of losing control of their power systems due to inverters.

Huawei has been heavily sanctioned in other industries by the U.S. due to national-security concerns and allegations of theft of intellectual property.

Heather Conley is a Europe expert with the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute, based in Washington. She said that the measures could indicate a more U.S. and European alignment towards China after the Group of Seven Leaders agreed to work together this month to reduce their reliance on China as a source of critical minerals.

According to the National Defense Authorization Act of fiscal year 2026, the U.S. Department of Defense has already been prohibited from purchasing solar photovoltaic modules, cells or inverters made by foreign entities of concern. This would include Chinese companies.

DRONES and ROUTERS

Nine people with knowledge of the situation said that the Trump?administration had previously considered banning Chinese inverters. Three sources claim that the White House National Energy Dominance Council asked the Commerce Department last summer to draft a 'expedited' ban. However, this effort failed.

The Commerce Department had, according to reports, halted a number of punitive actions aimed at Chinese technology. These included restrictions on drone and router manufacturers with Chinese origin.

Requests for comments were not answered by the?Commerce Department.

Later, the FCC stepped in and imposed its own bans for new foreign models?of drones and routers. These bans were imposed in December, and then again in March. Companies can apply for waivers if they want to sell new equipment on the U.S. No waivers have been granted so far to Chinese companies.

In a?statement, the FCC stressed that these bans were "entirely neutral in terms of country and did not target any particular country."

In Europe, policymakers consider further plans to tighten security around inverters. This includes identifying risky suppliers.

Some Chinese inverter manufacturers could be blacklisted if the EU proposal, which is part of an updated Cybersecurity Act is implemented.

A spokesperson for the European Commission stressed that this act does not designate any specific country but rather proposes a framework that can be used to identify countries with cybersecurity concerns. (Reporting from Sarah McFarlane and Alexandra Alper, in London; Additional reporting by David Shephardson, in Washington; Editing and Richard Valdmanis & Jamie Freed).

(source: Reuters)