China's exporters of batteries, solar systems, electric vehicles and other clean energy components posted record sales last month as the Iran war and subsequent closure of the ​Strait of Hormuz cut off oil and gas supplies from the Middle East.

Combined sales of Chinese clean energy parts and products totalled $26 billion ‌in March, data compiled by Ember shows, which was by far the highest clean tech monthly tally ​ever recorded by the world's top battery, EV and solar panel maker.

The monthly receipts total was ⁠up 30% from February and 52% above the same month in 2025 as the seismic shock of bombings across the Middle East and closure of key shipping lanes sparked a surge in orders for clean energy products across the world.

BATTERY BOOM

Battery systems were by far China's top ‌seller among the suite of clean energy components last month, with just over $10 billion in sales recorded.

That compares to average monthly battery export receipts of around $7 billion since the start of 2025, and so marked a ‌sharp acceleration in global orders for battery systems used by utilities for energy storage and in electric vehicles.

Europe was the ‌top ⁠region for Chinese battery imports, accounting for 43% or $4.3 billion of the total, followed by Asia, which snapped ⁠up 29% of the export volumes.

At the country level, Germany was the top market for Chinese batteries in March ($1.26 billion), followed by the United States ($823 million), the Netherlands ($635 million), Vietnam ($597 million) and Australia ($595 million).

Germany also registered the largest monthly increase in battery imports compared to February, posting a $286 million increase in ​import purchases in March.

Vietnam and Oman also registered ‌monthly increases in excess of $200 million last month.

SOLAR SPURT

Chinese solar systems recorded the next-largest jump in export receipts in March, jumping from $2.1 billion in February to $4.8 billion, which was the highest monthly total since May 2023 and roughly twice the monthly average since 2025.

Asia was the top destination, accounting for 43% or $2 billion of the total, followed by Europe, which ‌snapped up 27% of the total, worth $1.3 billion.

The Netherlands was the top overall solar panel importer in March, paying $400 ​million, which marked a near $200 million increase from the month before and compares to a monthly average of around $264 million since the start of 2025.

Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Pakistan rounded out the five ⁠largest buyers of China's solar systems last month.

EV EXPORT VOLATILITY

China's exports of electric vehicles have hit turbulence so far in 2026 as changes to subsidy schemes in several countries impacted consumer demand even before the Middle East war disrupted global trade flows and ‌consumer confidence. Even so, total EV exports for the first three months of 2026 were just over $21 billion, which marked a record for those months and compared to just $12 billion during the same months in 2025.

Europe was by far the largest destination for Chinese EVs in March, accounting for 45% of the sales total, followed by Asia, which had a 25% share.

Belgium was the top country for EV exports, followed by Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia.

One notable feature of EV export flows in March was the steep collapse in sales to the Middle East as the air raids in the region brought the movement of ‌goods to a near standstill.

Indeed, the Middle East only accounted for 4% of China's EV exports in March, compared to an 11% share of ​EV exports in 2025.

The Middle East also registered a steep decline in deliveries for Chinese-made grid systems in March for the same reasons, and reveals that China's exporters of clean energy components have suffered some setbacks ⁠from the Iran war.

However, those drops in Middle East deliveries also indicate potential pent-up demand once peace returns and trade flows finally ⁠resume into and out of the region.

That in turn puts Chinese clean tech exporters in a good position to sustain strong global sales of their products, even after flows of Middle Eastern oil, gas and fuel start ‌to recover.

The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.

Published on April 27, 2026