The best way to protect the US electrical grid is with open source
Recently, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect the US electricity grid from cyber attacks by blocking power-equipment imports from "foreign adversaries." Presumably, that includes Russia, Iran, and -- most important of all -- China. There's only one problem with that: The vast majority of high-end electrical equipment is built outside of the US.
In specific, China is leading the way in advanced electrical grid technology. State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), the world's largest power company, is building the first ultra-high-voltage DC (UHVDC) electrical lines, which can carry over a million volts. China is doing this in partnership with the Swiss-Swedish ABB Group. Are Switzerland and Sweden "foreign adversaries" too?
We don't know. While Trump declared this to be a national emergency, it's up to the Energy Secretary and other cabinet-level officials to decide what electric equipment that may fall under the ban. The global power companies are struggling to work out what Trump's executive order really means.
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