Source: CNESA
On December 3-5, 2025, the 2025 China Energy Storage CEO Summit and the Preliminary Round of the 10th International Energy Storage Innovation Competition, hosted by the China Energy Storage Alliance (CNESA) and co-hosted by Xiamen University, Kehua Digital Energy, and Cornex New Energy, was successfully held in Xiamen.
As CNESA’s flagship concluding event of the year, this summit was anchored in the southeastern coastal region - a strategic hub linking global markets - and was themed “Breaking Waves · Coexisting - Shaping a New Global Energy Storage Ecosystem for 2026.” It brings together senior representatives from energy investment institutions, project developers, asset owners, and EPC companies from Saudi Arabia, Australia, Denmark, Austria, Bulgaria, India, and other countries for in-depth engagement.
International guests focused on topics including project implementation, cooperation models with Chinese companies, grid connection and interconnection standards, and industrial chain collaboration, collectively presenting the global market's genuine expectations of - and directions for cooperation with - China's energy storage industry.
Europe:
Focusing on building long-term partnerships rather than
engaging in short-term transactions.
Renalfa IPP - Chief Investment Officer (Austria / Bulgaria)
Kalina Pelovska
Renalfa IPP is a leading independent power producer in Europe, with more than 5.6 GW of renewable energy assets deployed across Central and Eastern Europe.
“Investment decision-making has evolved from a singular focus on levelized cost of energy to a comprehensive evaluation of system reliability and revenue stability. The strengths of Chinese energy storage companies are expanding from pricing advantages to delivery efficiency, technical responsiveness, and long-term stability. We look forward to jointly cultivating the Central and Eastern European (CEE) energy storage asset market with Chinese companies through joint ventures and co-investment models, building long-term partnerships.”
Solarpro Technology AD - Head of Energy Storage Division (Bulgaria)
Gabriel Nenov
Solarpro is a major EPC contractor and energy storage project developer in Southeast Europe, with extensive experience in PV+BESS projects across Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, and other countries.
“The energy storage market in Eastern Europe is rapidly taking off, but complex grid-connection rules and diverse approval processes place very high demands on information transparency and depth of technical communication. Large-scale projects of 200 MWh and above are becoming mainstream. The Eastern European energy storage market is optimistic about deep collaboration with Chinese partners at the inverter, battery cell, and EMS integration levels. Through standards alignment and early-stage design coordination, project bankability and execution certainty can be significantly improved.”
Australia:
Not Just Batteries, but “Plug-and-Play” System Solutions
Green Gold Energy - Head of Energy Engineering Department (Australia)
Alessandro Wei
Green Gold Energy is a leading renewable energy developer and EPC contractor in Australia, with extensive experience in developing large-scale photovoltaic and battery energy storage projects across South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, and other regions.
“In the Australian market, the Chinese energy storage supply chain has already built a high level of trust. Looking ahead, there is a stronger expectation for entry through system-level solutions rather than standalone equipment - integrated coordination across PCS, BMS, EMS, and grid-connection models. Australia’s energy storage business model is shifting from frequency regulation-led applications to a parallel model combining medium- to long-duration energy storage arbitrage and capacity assurance, placing higher demands on overall system compliance, long-term O&M capabilities, and localized services. Grid-forming technologies, validation of grid-connection models, and technical confirmation prior to tendering will become key levers for China-Australia collaboration.”
Middle East:
Focusing on long-duration energy storage and system integration
capabilities
Aramco Ventures - President of China Strategic Investments (Saudi Arabia)
Rongtao Sun
Aramco Ventures, the strategic investment arm of Saudi Aramco - the world's largest energy company - is accelerating its global investments in renewable energy, hydrogen, energy storage, and advanced materials.
“The global energy system is rapidly evolving toward a more diversified structure, with energy storage becoming a critical foundational asset. Large-scale energy base projects in the Middle East and North Africa impose higher thresholds for long-duration energy storage, system integration capabilities, and project-level reliability. China holds significant advantages in energy storage manufacturing capacity, industrial clustering, and supply chain completeness. Going forward, we will pay closer attention to the maturity of Chinese energy storage companies in safety standards, long-term operations and maintenance, project documentation systems, and global delivery capabilities. Through joint investments, demonstration projects, and localized deployment, we aim to promote deeper levels of cooperation.”
Nordic Region:
Strong emphasis on full life-cycle services and close coordination
with the power grid
DRSOLAR Denmark ApS - Chief Executive Officer (Denmark)
Salomon Martens
DRSOLAR is a Danish renewable energy system integrator and distributor, with long-term engagement in battery energy storage sales and system services across Nordic and European markets.
“In Denmark and the broader Nordic region, demand for energy storage is shifting from simple grid-connection support to system services and flexibility resources. The market increasingly emphasizes system safety, full life-cycle services, and the ability to collaborate with grid operators. Chinese energy storage products are competitive in performance and delivery. If further alignment can be achieved in certification standards, after-sales systems, and localized technical support, their market penetration will be significantly strengthened.”
RJS Construction ApS - Chief Operating Officer (Denmark)
Robert Kraszewski
RJS Construction is a Danish engineering and EPC service provider involved in the construction and delivery of multiple renewable energy and energy storage projects across Europe.
“From an EPC perspective, European projects place greater emphasis on engineering feasibility and on-site adaptability. Energy storage systems must fully consider construction, commissioning, and O&M conditions during the design phase. Chinese companies perform strongly in modular design and manufacturing efficiency. If closer coordination can be established with local EPC teams, project delivery efficiency can be significantly improved while risks are better controlled.”
India:
Seeking Partners to Scale from Pilot Projects to Full Deployment
At the Energy Storage CEO Summit, representatives of Coca-Cola’s Indian bottling operations expressed clear interest in collaboration. Their purpose for attending was highly practical: “In India, energy storage is booming, so we want to explore this for our company.”
Their demand stems directly from the company’s energy transition efforts. They have already built dedicated solar power plants for their own operations, and their current focus is to use battery energy storage systems to replace grid electricity during peak hours, achieving a better balance between solar generation and energy storage.
Regarding cooperation, they outlined a clear roadmap: “Maybe we can start the pilot project in India. And once if we will find it good, we would scale it up in India and do a business over there with the help of China.” They also explicitly noted that they regard the China Energy Storage Alliance (CNESA) as an important support platform in this field and attended the summit specifically to seek connections through CNESA.
As a key prelude to the 14th Energy Storage International Conference & Expo (ESIE 2026), this year’s China Energy Storage CEO Summit delivered a clear message through its high level of international participation and practice-oriented agenda: the global market not only recognizes China’s manufacturing strength in energy storage, but also expects deeper collaboration across technology standards, ecosystem development, and long-term value creation.
As Chinese energy storage companies further integrate into the global energy system, a new ecosystem built on co-creation, co-development, and shared growth is taking shape. This is no longer merely about exporting products, but a collective journey of technologies, standards, and cooperative models going global together.
CENSA Upcoming Events:
Apr. 1-3, 2026 | The 14th Energy Storage International Conference & Expo
Register Now to attend, free before Dec 31, 2025.
