> Unless everything speaks standard protocols and can easily be swapped to a different control and monitoring system We are taking about AC and DC current. Tha

> Unless everything speaks standard protocols and can easily be swapped to a different control and monitoring system We are taking about AC and DC current. That is about as "standard" as it gets. Your panels produce DC current. Your inverter takes that current and converts it to AC. The AC current is then sent to your main panel. The inverter is a fraction of the cost of the entire system, and most inverters only last 8-10 years, so they are expected to be replaced a few times through out the lifetime of the system. It would be physically impossible to implement some sort of inverter level DRM that could then bind up your entire system. You could brick the inverter itself, but for reasons explained below that would be very unlikely. > I accept that that reduces the chance of them being turned off. I would in fact be interested in hearing more about this revenue model. I don't know the exact number, but the overwhelming majority of residential solar systems are financed, either through a lease or a PPA. The banks that offer this financing maintain lists of "bankable" equipment and in order to be eligible for financing the equipment used in a project needs to be on one of these lists. And to get on these lists manufacturers need to meet a number of requirements, one of which is that there are guarantees that in the event of a bankruptcy the equipment will continue to operate and that warranties will still be honored. > Of course, you now have me worried about the risks of them being remotely meddled with in various ways to suit the interests of whoever is providing this revenue That is a fair concern. But if you enter into a financial contract with an entity that has the ability and standing to shut off your solar system for whatever reason, then that is your own problem, and somewhat tangential from the topic in this thread. And FWIW, in practice it very rarely makes sense to turn these things off. It costs too much to repossess them, and the homeowner will just end up putting more money towards the utility bill to keep the lights on. Instead they just keep the electrons flowing and hope their collections department can sort things out.