PARTNER CONTENT: ZTE introduces full-stack, AI-driven energy storage solutions in Munich to address the rising power demands of the digital infrastructure era

ZTE showcased its end-to-end capabilities in project delivery, technology innovation and intelligent energy at The Smarter E Europe 2026, to support Europe’s accelerating energy transition.

As Europe continues to expand renewable energy deployment, energy storage is evolving from a standalone asset into a strategic platform for flexibility, resilience and value creation. At the same time, the rapid growth of artificial intelligence is creating a new category of energy demand, driving closer convergence between energy infrastructure and digital infrastructure. New requirements are emerging for how energy systems are designed and operated, from compute-power coordination to intelligent grid regulation and backup power solutions for AI data centers.

Leveraging its unique strengths in connectivity, computing and energy, ZTE is helping customers address these challenges through intelligent energy solutions that span the entire generation, transmission, distribution and storage ecosystem. At the exhibition, ZTE showcased a 261 kWh high-density commercial and industrial (C&I) energy storage cabinet that enables peak shaving, valley filling and intelligent demand management to reduce electricity costs and avoid expensive transformer upgrades. The company also demonstrated utility-scale energy storage systems capable of millisecond-level frequency regulation to enhance grid stability and maximize renewable energy integration, alongside its self-developed Virtual Power Plant (VPP) platform, which aggregates distributed photovoltaic and storage resources and utilizes AI-driven forecasting and dispatch to participate in wholesale electricity markets and ancillary services.

These solutions are supported by ZTE's full-stack research and development capabilities spanning battery cells, Power Conversion Systems (PCS), Battery Management Systems (BMS), Energy Management Systems (EMS) and cloud-based management platforms. Through AI-driven optimization, cloud-edge coordinated dispatch and predictive maintenance, the solutions help customers improve operational efficiency, reduce lifecycle costs and maximize energy asset value.

With operations in over 160 countries and regions and serving one-third of the world’s population, ZTE brings more than three decades of carrier-grade expertise in connectivity, cloud and intelligent operations to the energy sector. The company approaches energy storage not merely as a battery business, but as critical infrastructure that requires long-term reliability, compliance and operational excellence. To support customers globally, ZTE has established an integrated framework encompassing technology innovation, compliance, service delivery, financial enablement and sustainability. The company maintains a comprehensive compliance system aligned with European energy regulations and data security requirements, has achieved an overseas project localization rate exceeding 85%, and has been recognized on the CDP Climate A list for its excellence in environmental governance for three consecutive years.

Backed by full-suite EPC qualifications, ZTE has delivered more than 140 renewable energy projects worldwide. Recent highlights include a 128 MWp mountain photovoltaic plant in Türkiye that generates approximately 200 million kWh of clean electricity annually, as well as customized energy storage deployments in Austria, Italy and Romania supporting compact site storage, hybrid PV-storage integration and energy asset monetization scenarios.

Kong Peng, Vice President of ZTE Digital Energy, said: "The energy storage industry is shifting from subsidy-driven to market-revenue-driven models, and Europe is at the forefront of this transformation. Customers increasingly evaluate energy storage as a platform for flexibility, resilience and value creation. At the same time, the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure is creating entirely new requirements for energy systems. By integrating connectivity, computing and energy, ZTE is uniquely positioned to support applications such as computing-electricity coordination, AI data center backup power and intelligent grid regulation."

As Europe accelerates its transition towards a more sustainable, digitalized and flexible energy future, ZTE remains committed to helping customers unlock greater value from renewable energy through the convergence of energy, computing and intelligence, supporting the development of a more resilient, efficient and intelligent energy ecosystem.

Contributed by ZTE.