With a surge of 2015%, another "dark horse" has seized the opportunity presented by China's energy storage boom in Europe!

In early spring 2026, a statistic sent shockwaves through the industry: in the latest domestic power and energy storage battery export rankings, Zhongqi New Energy delivered a staggering 2015% year-on-year increase, leading the pack with a phenomenal growth rate that outpaced many industry veterans.

Although the absolute export volume was not disclosed, this energy storage "dark horse's" performance was already remarkable. This also reflects that thousands of kilometers away on the European continent, a "second energy crisis" triggered by geopolitics is opening a historic door for Chinese companies.

01. European Energy Crisis 2.0

In 2026, the dark clouds over the Strait of Hormuz caused Europe's still-healing energy wounds to bleed again.

Within just a few days, the price of benchmark natural gas in Europe surged. According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, within 10 days of the conflict's outbreak, Europe paid an additional €3 billion for fossil fuel imports. Last time it was the Russia-Ukraine conflict; this time it's the Middle East situation—Europe is once again experiencing the "pain of dependence on foreign energy."

This is less than four years after the 2022 crisis that plunged Europe into a "power outage fear." Back then, Russia's closure of natural gas pipelines directly led to soaring electricity prices in Germany, France, Italy, and other countries, causing the European residential energy storage market to boom overnight and making a fortune for a number of Chinese residential energy storage system companies. This time, the script is similar, but the plot is escalating.

If in 2022 Europeans realized that "gas was too expensive," then in 2026 they realized that "there might be no gas at any time." Coupled with Middle Eastern oil production cuts and natural gas production shutdowns, Europe is facing a "double whammy on the supply side."

The overnight surge in electricity prices has made Europe realize a harsh reality once again: Middle Eastern oil and Russian natural gas are not as reliable as Chinese solar panels and batteries. As industry observers have pointed out: "Europe can reduce and choose countries that import natural gas, but it is difficult to replace the system of producing photovoltaics, energy storage, and batteries."

02. From Photovoltaics to Energy Storage: The "Role Leap" of Made in China

Looking back, China's new energy industry has a long history with Europe.

Around 2010, over 60% of China's photovoltaic (PV) panels were sold to the European Union. At that time, Europe was the "market," and China was the "factory." When subsidies in Germany and Italy decreased, Chinese PV companies faced a reshuffling. Going global then was more like a passive export dependent on foreign policies.

But today, the logic has changed.

Europe's energy transition has risen from "climate action" to a "survival strategy." The EU has raised its 2030 renewable energy target to 45%, with Germany aiming for 80%. High proportions of wind and solar power generation inevitably lead to grid fluctuations, making energy storage a rigid demand. The European Battery Storage Platform, established by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, plans to achieve 500GWh-780GWh of installed energy storage capacity by 2030—meaning a more than tenfold increase in existing capacity.

With energy security and carbon neutrality goals overlapping, Europe needs not only Chinese products but also Chinese production capacity, technology, and delivery capabilities. The 2015% growth rate of China Automotive New Energy was born in this context.

03. Order Surge: Chinese Energy Storage Companies Rush to the European Market

The data doesn't lie. According to statistics from the CESA Energy Storage Application Branch, Chinese companies received 67 GWh of new energy storage orders in Europe in 2025, accounting for nearly 20% of their total global overseas energy storage orders. Europe has become the primary battleground for Chinese companies' overseas expansion.

Entering 2026, this momentum not only didn't subside but accelerated.

It is understood that major manufacturers in the industry are currently working overtime, receiving orders to the point of exhaustion, and their production capacity is being pushed to the limit. Despite this, some overseas distributors are still openly advertising online: "We have nothing left to sell, please contact me if you have stock!" Recently, several leading energy storage companies have been making frequent moves in the overseas market:

- Sungrow Power Supply: In March, it signed a cooperation agreement with Romania's ENEVO Group for a 1 GWh energy storage project. The agreement includes two phases: a 440 MWh project signed in early February this year, planned for delivery before December 2026; and a 560 MWh project, expected to be completed and delivered before the end of 2027.

- Trina Solar: Contracted orders in Europe exceeded 6GWh in 2026, significantly higher than previously expected. Projects cover more than ten countries including the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Belgium, and Greece.

- RPL Energy: Signed supply agreements with seven European partners at the Italian International Renewable Energy Exhibition, with a total of 8.3GWh of energy storage systems to be delivered over the next two years.

- CRRC New Energy: Recently reached a 2GWh strategic cooperation agreement with Belgian energy company AVESTA. Previously, in September 2025, CRRC New Energy signed a 2GWh energy storage project contract with POSCO International and FAW Import & Export Corporation, and in August 2025, signed a 5GWh cooperation memorandum with India's IndiGrid for 2026-2027. By the end of 2025, CRRC New Energy's cumulative global energy storage orders exceeded 14GWh.

- Cooper Energy: Reached a 1GWh strategic cooperation agreement with Romania's VoltLink Energy. A significant trend is that GWh-level orders are shifting from occasional to frequent, and the transition from residential storage to large-scale grid-side storage is accelerating. This is precisely where Chinese companies excel—large-scale delivery, cost control, and engineering capabilities—and what their European and American competitors are weak points in.

04. More Than Just Exports: From "Selling Products" to "Building an Ecosystem"

If the export of Chinese photovoltaic products in the 2010s was about "selling goods," then the export of energy storage in the 2020s is entering a new phase of "deepening localization."

Because Europe is also "evolving." Recent draft policies from the EU propose that battery energy storage systems may face certain localization requirements in public procurement projects. If the investor's country has a high share of global production capacity for a particular sector, conditions such as technology transfer and local employment must be met.

This means that the path of simply exporting is narrowing, and localization is becoming increasingly necessary.

- Sungrow Power has begun construction on its first European production base in Poland, with an annual capacity of 12.5 GWh of energy storage systems.

- Haichen Energy Storage plans a joint venture with Spain's Sodena, investing €400 million to build a battery factory.

- CATL's Hungarian factory is expected to begin mass production in the spring of 2026, with an initial capacity of 40 GWh already secured by customers.

- Envision Energy's factory in Douai, France, has already provided batteries for 10,000 Renault R5 vehicles, with a projected capacity of 75,000 vehicles by the end of 2025.

- Trina Solar has jointly established an 8 billion yuan special energy storage fund with European investment institutions, deeply integrating into the local financial ecosystem.

... Behind this transformation lies a two-way exchange: Europe needs China's production capacity to ensure energy security, while China needs to establish a foothold in Europe to circumvent trade barriers and integrate into local rules.

05. The Turbulent the Tide, the More Sober Reflection is Needed

However, the more turbulent the tide, the more sober reflection is needed.

Taking China Automotive New Energy as an example, its 2015% growth rate was impressive, but it was a window of opportunity heavily reliant on large customer orders and the European energy storage boom. If European policies (such as carbon tariffs and subsidy reductions) change abruptly, or if large customers are lost, can this high-speed growth be sustained?

Currently, compliance thresholds are rising rapidly. According to EU battery regulations, starting in 2026, industrial batteries will be required to provide carbon footprint declarations, and in February 2027, a "battery passport" system with full lifecycle traceability will be implemented. Chinese companies that cannot keep pace in low-carbon production and supply chain transparency may be excluded from the market.

Localization means soaring costs. Building factories in Europe, hiring local employees, and adapting to local standards will all increase operating costs, testing a company's financial strength and management capabilities. As more and more Chinese companies enter Europe, homogeneous competition may further squeeze profits.

In the long run, only companies that truly build barriers in technology, channels, and services, and continue their global expansion, may ultimately succeed.