The Iran war is driving demand for Chinese technology, whose exports of items such as solar panels, batteries and electric cars hit a record of almost $22.3 billion in December. That was up about 47% from the year before, with much going to Southeast Asia and Europe, according to the think tank Ember.
Investment in renewable power and battery storage — designed to save energy when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing — is expected to increase in nations heavily dependent on energy imports, including European countries, according to the credit rating firm Fitch Ratings.
Investors are betting the war will boost demand for renewables. In March, CATL and BYD’s Hong Kong traded shares rose roughly 24% and 11%, respectively.
Households facing higher energy costs are likely to move to clean power, said James Bowen of the Australia-based consultancy ReMap Research.
Pakistan offers an early example. Its renewable rollout in 2017 led to more than 50 gigawatts of Chinese solar panels imported by December 2025.
Pakistan still imports a third of its energy. About 80% of its oil flowed through the Strait of Hormuz, and Qatar had been supplying a quarter of its LNG. But “the shock isn’t as big as it would have been without solar,” said Nabiya Imran of Renewables First.
If prices remain high, solar could save Pakistan $6.3 billion in fossil fuel imports over the next year, according to think tanks Renewables First and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
In the United Kingdom, EV leasing demand jumped by more than a third in the first three weeks of March compared to a similar period in February before the war, according to Octopus Energy, a renewable group. Octopus also reported increases in rooftop solar sales and solar-related inquiries.
In Southeast Asia, Vietnamese EV maker VinFast is offering discounts to offset fuel price shocks.
Even Indonesia, the world’s largest coal exporter, is recalibrating in ways that could make it a bigger customer for China’s clean energy technology.
In March, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced a push into EVs, including plans to produce electric cars and expand charging infrastructure.
The dream of electrified transportation is gaining renewed attention, said Putra Adhiguna of the Jakarta-based think tank Energy Shift Institute.
Chinese firms play a major role in Indonesia’s clean energy supply chain. They signed more than $54 billion dollars’ worth of deals with the state utility in 2023 and added a $10 billion pledge during Prabowo’s visit to Beijing in 2024.
“There will be direct financial benefits to Chinese companies,” said Reynolds of IEEFA.
Many people has not awared that China is also an energy exporting country in the fields of photovoltaics(PV), wind energy, and energy storage.
Because of the international situation, China's clean energy enterprises have become strategic assets, achieving output after receiving more than 30 years of investment, although most people did not have a positive outlook on this field in the past (including myself).
The fact is that our planners are excellent enough, and I feel ashamed to have opposed the strategy of promoting renewable energy in the past.
Iran war's global energy crisis sharpens China’s advantage in clean tech
The war in Iran is sharpening China’s advantage in promoting a renewable energy future, as oil disruptions expose the fragility of fossil fuel systems.