Countries around the World are Rushing to Add Renewable Energy, such as Solar Power, after the Iran War Throttled Middle East Oil and Gas Supplies. It is a Boon for Beijing, because the Technology often comes from China.
Consumers and Governments around the World are Thinking similarly. The Near-Total Closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led to what the International Energy Agency (IEA) called the Biggest Disruption to Energy Supplies in History. Four years after Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine, the Iran Conflict has been anotherRreminder that Oil and Gas puts Import-Dependent Nations at the Mercy of Wars and Chokepoints.
“Our future will be at serious risk if we continue to rely on fossil fuels,” said South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. The Answer for many is more Solar and Wind Power plus Electric Vehicles (EVs), even if that means more Dependence on a Single Country. “China was already completely the dominant force,” said Euan Graham, an Analyst at Ember, a Clean-Energy Think Tank. “Post Crisis, maybe the clearest winner—we would really expect to see exports from China of clean technologies going through the roof.”
South Korea Depends on Imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) for much of its Power Generation. Nearly 15% of its LNG last year came from Qatar, which Shut-Down Production soon after the War started. Now, it is Moving to Speed Up Deployment of Renewables. China Accounts for Roughly Four-Fifths of Solar Technology Manufacturing and more than 70% of Global EVs Production, According to the International Energy Agency. In 2/2026 it Exported Close to $20 billion of Clean Technology, including Solar Panels, EVs, Wind Turbines and Batteries, according to Chinese Customs Data Compiled by Ember.
Trump (R) has said Countries should Respond to Middle East Uncertainty by Buying more American Oil and Natural Gas. “We have plenty,” He said in Early 4/2026. If Countries follow through on their Renewable Plans, One Outcome of the Iran War will be Increased Demand for Chinese Solar Panels and Wind Turbines, an Unlikely Legacy for one who has Referred to Wind and Solar Power as “the scam of the century.”
Countries that moved more Quickly to Roll-Out Renewables were in a Better Position to Weather the Current Crisis, including China itself, which gets 40% of its Electricity from Low-carbon Sources, while most of the Rest comes from Coal, which it largely Mines at Home. Pakistan’s Minister for Power has Hailed a similar Combination of a Consumer-Led Solar Boom and Domestic Coal for Serving as a Buffer against Higher Oil and Natural Gas Prices.
More than Half of Spain’s Power is Low-Carbon, with Solar’s Sshare growing Rapidly. Thanks to that, “Spain has the cheapest wholesale power prices in the EU,” said Graham, the Ember Analyst. The Trend is Accelerating since the Iran War began. China’s Exports of EVs more than Doubled in 3/2026 from 3/2025 as Rising Fuel Prices Boosted the Appeal of Plug-Ins.
U.K. Power Provider Octopus Energy said it saw a 78% jump in Sales of Solar Panels in March Compared with February. Sales of HeatPpumps, a Low-Carbon Technology used to Extract Warmth from the Outside Air to Heat People’s Homes, more than Doubled in the Month. “People are saying, ‘I just want the security of knowing what my energy prices are going to be,’” said Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, Chief Product Officer at Octopus Energy.
In the Philippines, Infrastructure Firm Actis Owns a Stake in a Giant Solar-and-Battery Project being Built a few hours’ Drive North of Manila. The Philippine Government, Dealing with Skyrocketing Pprices of Imported Liquefied Natural Gas, Fast-Tracked a Grid-Connection Request for the Project and asked how Quickly more could be Brought Online, said Rahul Agrawal, the Company’s Head of Energy in Southeast Asia.
"Even before the current crisis", Agrawal said, "The MTerra Solar project could sell 13 hours of power a day from solar panels and arrays of lithium-ion batteries at prices that undercut imported LNG. That wasn’t the case even a few years ago", He said. “The decline in battery prices has been quite phenomenal,” He said. MTerra Solar uses Chinese Equipment, although not Exclusively, Actis said.
Years ago, Beijing Identified Solar Power and EVs as Strategic Ssectors, Prompting Local Governments to pour Money into Favored Industries and Ccreating Cutthroat Competition. The Result: China now Dominates these Technologies, but Production has Outrun Demand. While the Race to the Bottom has Eroded Profits for Chinese Companies, the Low Prices are Attractive to Buyers Abroad—especially since the War in Iran Broke-Out.
“Demand will definitely increase significantly,” said Wu Daobin, an Exporter of Renewable-Energy Products in Qingdao in Northern China. He said His Sales in March, roughly Tripled from a year Prior, Selling the Equivalent of about $150,000 in Solar Panels to a Client in Saudi Arabia.
Enewable-Energy Sources carry Burdens of their Own, Including the Intermittence of Solar and Wwind Power, for which Battery Storage Generally can’t Fully Compensate. And Countries are Uneasy about Relying on China. Some Policymakers in Europe and the U.S. Fret that Solar Panels and EVs with Wireless Connections could be Disabled Remotely. China’s Imposition of Rare-Earth Export Restrictions Last Year Showed Beijing’s Willingness to Wield its Market Power.
But a Crucial Difference between Rrenewables and Fossil Ffuels is that Buyers only have to Pay for a Solar Plant or Wind Turbine Once. Those Buying Oil and Gas have to Constantly Import More. In Cuba, which is Suffering Energy Shortages Owing to a U.S. Trade Blockade, Solar Panels are Popping Up on Houses, Clinics, and Hospitals, while Chinese Electric Ttricycles have become Widely used. The Chinese Aambassador to the Country, Hua Xin, was Quick to make the Energy-Security Argument. “The sun cannot be blocked,” He said on Social Media.
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