Overview
On September 17, the 7th Carbon Neutrality and Green Investment Conference, organized by the Energy Investment Committee of the China Investment Association, was held at the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin). A striking data point drew industry attention: in the second quarter of 2026, the number of China’s overseas renewable-energy storage projects grew 75% year-on-year, surpassing solar projects in scale for the first time. Analysts view this structural shift as a deep transition from “equipment export” to “system export.”
Shi Yubo, former deputy head of the National Energy Administration, noted that by end-2025, national wind and solar capacity exceeded 1.8 billion kW, historically surpassing thermal power; total renewable capacity reached 2.337 billion kW, about 60% of national power installed capacity. He described China’s green-energy going-global as progressing from product export and engineering export to a new stage of system export.
Background & Interpretation
1. Industry Context & Policy Landscape
Early overseas expansion centered on devices and modules, later upgrading to EPC. Entering the first year of the “15th Five-Year” plan, a policy framework spanning carbon peaking, energy transition, industrial upgrading, and trade expansion has taken shape, making green going-global a necessity rather than an option.
2. Core Drivers & Underlying Mechanisms
The acceleration of storage exports stems from a simple reality: high-renewable grids abroad face the same absorption and stability challenges, and storage is the key to smoothing volatility and providing capacity and ancillary services. The Secretary General of the World Energy Council argued the next energy breakthrough is not a single disruptive technology but “system integration and cross-system compatibility.” More projects are shifting from “build-and-hand-over” to “long-term hold-and-operate,” reflecting the export of systemic capability.
3. Value Chain & Competitive Impact
Chen Jian, former vice minister of Commerce, urged upgrading from “product output” to “capability output,” exploring an integrated “port logistics + industrial cluster + comprehensive services” model. Competition thus expands from device cost-performance to system integration, O&M, finance, and localization. Firms with source-grid-load-storage solutions and operating experience will lead the new round.
Implications & Outlook
In the near term, storage acts as an export growth engine, pulling inverters, battery systems, energy management, and engineering services. Medium to long term, as developing economies upgrade grids and electrify, “system export” becomes a key path for Chinese energy firms to participate in host-country power-system planning and operation.
Key variables: maturity of overseas electricity and ancillary-service markets, geopolitical and localization compliance, and Chinese firms’ long-term overseas operating capability.
Takeaways for Industry Participants
- Device makers: shift from selling products to “product + solution + O&M,” strengthening integration and local service.
- Investors and operators: assess feasibility of moving from contracting to holding-and-operating, watching cash flow and risk exposure.
- Supply-chain coordination: go global collectively via the “port + cluster + services” model to reduce isolated risk.
This column compiles industry information and shares technical perspectives; it does not constitute investment advice.