China’s record-breaking exports of clean tech making big dent in emissions

A visitor inspects the interior of a BYD car during an auto exhibition in Tangerang, Indonesia [AP Photo]

China is exporting a record amount of clean energy technology and equipment as the energy crisis from the Iran war drives surging demand for renewables, and that will help reduce global emissions, according to a report released Thursday.

Once installed or deployed, these 2026 exports will likely avert emissions of about 450 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, roughly equal to Brazil’s annual emissions, says the analysis by the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

It’s a small sign of progress as global efforts to curb climate change fall short. In November, Turkey will host annual U.N. climate talks where electrification is expected to be a leading topic.

“This is a pivot point for the outlook of global energy and global emissions,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, with CREA. “We’re seeing growth in clean energy that is much, much faster than anyone predicted just a few years ago.”

China is by far the largest global supplier of renewable energy equipment, from solar panels and wind turbines to electric vehicles and batteries. Most of what it makes is sold domestically, but a sizeable share is exported.

In the first nine months of 2026, CREA tracked a 61% increase in exports of electric vehicles, a 45% jump in shipments of wind turbines, a 39% spike in battery exports and 22% growth in overseas sales of solar equipment, compared to the same period last year.

Southeast Asia was a major destination. China’s clean energy exports to the region jumped nearly 160% from last year to this September, according to Ember, an independent global energy think tank.

The value of China’s electric vehicle exports hit $72.8 billion in the first nine months of this year, up from $39.7 billion last year, according to the research firm Atlas Public Policy.

If these export trends continue for the rest of 2026, about 8,400 million metric tons of carbon dioxide will be averted over the lifetime of all the clean tech China exported this year, CREA estimates.

That’s about 24% of annual global emissions, more than the United States’ and India’s emissions combined.

The analysis by CREA is based on export data, the electricity systems in destination countries and Chinese emissions during manufacturing. Independent experts said the estimate was in line with the scale of China’s exports, but were unable to validate the data.

Despite President Donald Trump’s higher tariffs, Chinese clean tech exports to the U.S. rose 13% in January-September compared to a year earlier.

“The demand is much stronger than I expected,” Myllyvirta said. “That’s certainly noteworthy.”

China is both the world’s biggest provider of clean tech equipment and the largest global source of carbon emissions.

Muyi Yang, a senior policy analyst at Ember, likened China’s energy transition to replacing the engine of a ship while it’s still at sea.

The drastic war-related disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, usually the source for a fifth of the world’s oil and gas, hit import-dependent Asian countries first and hardest.

Renewed interest in clean energy options is likely to persist even after the war, said Yu Sun Chin, with the research group Zero Carbon Analytics.

Consumers in Southeast Asia are paying more for their electricity and fuel and opting for renewable alternatives such as rooftop solar.

Laos, Thailand and Vietnam have offered various incentives for installing solar and purchasing electric vehicles to help reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.

The Philippines implemented similar policies and became the second-largest destination for Chinese solar exports in the first quarter of 2026. Indonesia has pledged to install 100 gigawatts of solar power by 2029.

“The surge in clean energy policies in Southeast Asia shows there is a paradigm shift happening,” Chin said. “Considering Southeast Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate impacts, every emission cut matters in limiting a rise in global temperatures.” ANTON L. DELGADO, BANGKOK, MDT/AP