China's record clean energy exports projected to avert 24% of global CO2 emissions

The report comes as the energy crisis triggered by the Iran war drives surging demand for renewables. 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. In November, Turkey will host annual U.N. climate talks where electrification is expected to be a leading topic.

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 in the first nine months of 2026, compared to the same period last year. Southeast Asia was a major destination, with China’s clean energy exports to the region jumping 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 the year, up from $39.7 billion last year, according to the research firm Atlas Public Policy.

“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.” Despite President Donald Trump’s higher tariffs, Chinese clean tech exports to the United States rose 13% in January-September compared to a year earlier. “The demand is much stronger than I expected,” Myllyvirta said.

Independent experts said the estimate was in line with the scale of China’s exports, but were unable to validate the data. Muyi Yang, a senior policy analyst at Ember, likened China’s energy transition to replacing the engine of a ship while it is still at sea.

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 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.”