Chinese innovation shines at Smart Energy 2026 in Australia

Chinese companies have attracted strong interest at the Smart Energy 2026 expo held at the International Convention Center Sydney, displaying photovoltaic modules, energy storage batteries and smart energy management systems.

At the exhibition hall, Australian business representatives visited Chinese companies' booths to learn about integrated solutions covering residential power use, commercial and industrial energy storage, solar generation and electric vehicle charging.

The two-day event, which opened in Sydney on Wednesday, brought together more than 12,000 delegates and over 130 exhibitors to explore the latest developments in solar, storage, electrification and smart energy solutions.

Energy storage has emerged as a major focus at this year's event, as more Australian businesses and households seek to better generate, store and use solar power, creating strong demand for Chinese energy storage products and integrated solutions.

Yang Fan, deputy general manager of Sieyuan Electric, told Xinhua that fluctuations in fuel prices have helped spur electric vehicle sales in Australia, which in turn has boosted demand for home charging facilities, residential photovoltaic systems and energy storage products.

With declining costs and continued technological advances in energy storage systems, more Australian businesses and households are turning to solar and storage solutions to reduce energy costs, Yang said.

Wang Tongzhou, JinkoSolar's Regional General Manager for Oceania, said local residential and commercial users have become increasingly aware of volatility in traditional energy prices and are relying more on new energy solutions.

JinkoSolar hopes to develop integrated solar-plus-storage solutions in Australia through its self-developed systems to meet energy needs in different scenarios, Wang said, adding that Chinese companies have competitive advantages in costs and supply chains while building local teams to better serve overseas markets such as Australia.

At the Sofar Solar booth, inverters, batteries and energy storage products drew many visitors. Chen Yunxue, technical service manager of the company, said that after entering the Australian market in 2015, the company now provides local customers with a wide range of solar products, as increasing EV adoption drives Australian families' growing interest in household energy storage.

Ned Ekins-Daukes, head of the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of New South Wales, said Australia and China have a solid foundation for cooperation in the photovoltaic sector.

He said current fluctuations in the energy market have created new opportunities for the two sides to deepen cooperation in electric vehicles, photovoltaics and battery storage.

Ekins-Daukes, who has visited Chinese photovoltaic companies many times, said he was impressed by China's innovation in polysilicon production, manufacturing automation and supply chain integration.

"Full competition within China's huge market, stable industrial policies and the clustering of industrial capacity have jointly promoted the large-scale application of clean energy technologies such as photovoltaics," he said.

John Grimes, chief executive of the Smart Energy Council, said Australia and China are highly complementary in smart energy cooperation, adding that he looks forward to stronger international collaboration to enhance local manufacturing capacity and accelerate the implementation of clean energy projects.