Middle East: A New Promising Region for Solar Power Export

    Under the multiple waves of global tariff policy adjustments, cross-border transfer of production capacity, and gradient shift of market focus, China's solar energy exports are entering a crucial turning point. Facing increasingly complex barriers in overseas markets, how can Chinese enterprises break through? And which regions around the world have become strategic strongholds for solar energy exports? 
    In response to these issues, the Arctic Star Solar Photovoltaic Network conducted in-depth research on several leading enterprises in the industry and launched a series of analyses on the overseas market. This time, we focus on the Middle East - a market with both great potential and severe challenges. 
Giga-watt Market: A New Promising Region for Solar Energy Export 
    Currently, the photovoltaic construction in the Middle East is transitioning from "megawatt level" to "gigawatt level".

    Based on the development plans announced by various countries, by 2030, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Jordan and Egypt plan to increase the proportion of renewable energy power generation to 50%, 35%, 31% and 42% respectively. Oman aims to reach 30%. Additionally, the goal of the United Arab Emirates is to increase the installed capacity of renewable energy to 14.2 GW by 2030, and Oman has set a target of 4.5 GW for photovoltaic power generation. 
    During this process, Chinese enterprises have played a crucial role. According to incomplete statistics, since the beginning of this year, Chinese engineering enterprises such as China Energy Engineering Group and China Electric Power Engineering Group have signed, started and put into operation over 15 photovoltaic projects in the Middle East region. Among them, there are as many as ten "gigawatt-level" major projects.

    Behind each major project, one can almost always see the presence of Chinese manufacturers. Companies such as Jinko, JA Solar, and Tongwei, as well as key equipment suppliers like Sunergy Electric and CITIC Power, have become the core suppliers for many of the major projects in the Middle East. 
    In terms of specific cooperation partners, the cooperation between Chinese enterprises and the Middle East has taken on a diversified and in-depth model. Taking the largest "photovoltaic storage integration project" in the United Arab Emirates as an example, Chinese enterprises have achieved full-chain deep participation from project construction to equipment supply. China Electric Power Construction was selected as the preferred EPC contractor for this project; JinkoSolar and JinkoEnergy, as the preferred suppliers of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, will provide a total of 5.2GW of photovoltaic modules; Ningde Time, as the preferred supplier of battery energy storage systems (BESS), will provide 19GWh of energy storage equipment for it.

    Some Chinese equipment enterprises have become the preferred choice for Middle Eastern clients to break through the cooperation framework due to their technological advantages and service capabilities. Take CITIC Power as an example, it has risen to become the market leader in tracking support systems in the Middle East. Particularly, it performed outstandingly in the Saudi PIF6 photovoltaic project cluster - the Saudi PIF6 Farris photovoltaic project constructed by China Energy and the Saudi PIF6 AFIF photovoltaic project constructed by China Electric Power, both of which adopted CITIC Power's tracking support system products. As of now, CITIC Power has cumulatively won 5.4 gigawatts of tracking support system cooperation orders in this project cluster, using its achievements to prove the international recognition of Chinese equipment.

    Meanwhile, in order to more closely integrate this gigawatt-level market, Chinese photovoltaic enterprises are experiencing a wave of local factory construction. According to incomplete statistics, since 2024, at least 20 photovoltaic enterprises have established their industrial chains in the Middle East and surrounding regions: JinkoSolar announced in November 2024 that it would invest in building a 2-gigawatt battery and module factory in Egypt, and in December of the same year, it planned to build a 6-gigawatt battery and 3-gigawatt module project in Oman. Supporting enterprises are also accelerating their layout: Zhongxingbo has completed and expanded its production base in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and by integrating the local supply chain, it can achieve an annual delivery capacity of 15 gigawatts... 
    This localization strategy is based on multiple considerations: On one hand, it aims to meet the strict requirements of countries like Saudi Arabia for the localisation rate of projects, while taking advantage of the low electricity costs in the region; on the other hand, it benefits from the superior geographical location in the Middle East that connects Europe, Asia and Africa, thereby expanding the coverage area and optimizing the global supply chain layout. 
    The establishment of localized production capacity means that the expansion of China's photovoltaic industry in the Middle East has moved from the "exporting products" stage of the first generation to the "establishing production capacity and deeply rooting" stage of the second generation. It has truly transformed this "new promising land" into a stable base for a global layout. 
Technological Breakthrough: Establishing New Standards for Solar Energy in the Middle East with Hard Power 
    Although there are numerous Chinese photovoltaic enterprises entering the solar energy market in the Middle East, the number of suppliers that can consistently secure major projects in this region remains relatively small. 
    The vast deserts in the Middle East may seem similar to those in the northwest of our country, but their natural conditions are much more harsh. The project not only needs to cope with the daily challenges of high temperatures and high dust, but also at the site adjacent to the bay, the equipment is exposed to a combined corrosive environment of high temperature, high humidity and high salt fog for a long time, which poses fundamental challenges to the materials and long-term reliability of the photovoltaic equipment. 
    In response to this challenge, Chinese enterprises have tackled it through in-depth material innovation and structural design. Based on the highly recognized DeepBlue 4.0 Pro efficient modules in the Middle East market, Jinko launched the world's first specialized module for deserts, "Mo Lan". The product features advanced nano-glass coating and micro-structural design, possesses high density anti-static properties, can significantly reduce dust adhesion, achieve self-cleaning effect, and has a light transmittance attenuation of over 32% compared to conventional modules. The application of wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant coatings has reduced power loss due to sand abrasion by 14%. In terms of structure, the optimized temperature coefficient (-0.28%/℃) and high-strength steel base frame (frontal load 6000 Pa) effectively cope with high temperatures and strong winds. According to estimates, the "Mo Lan" module can be constructed. 
    Huasheng relies on the heterojunction (HJT) technology platform. Its "thin film + crystalline silicon" symmetrical structure inherently possesses better temperature coefficients and an ultra-high double-sided rate of over 90%, perfectly matching the hot and highly reflective environment in the Middle East. The 760HV high-efficiency heterojunction module launched by it adopts G12+ silicon wafers and negative spacing technology, with a power output of 760W. Regarding weather resistance, its exclusive "light conversion film + butyl sealant" packaging technology, combined with the non-grid design, significantly enhances the ability to resist ultraviolet rays, water vapor penetration and hot spots, and has passed rigorous PID and thermal cycling tests, ensuring long-term reliability under extreme temperature variations and high humidity conditions. 
    At the system electrical level, the new generation string-type inverter TS300KTL-HV-C1 from Taweishi New Energy and the new generation modular 4.4MW/8.8MW centralized inverter and booster unit launched for large-scale power stations both demonstrate excellent performance in terms of heat resistance and dust prevention. The TS300KTL-HV-C1 has industry-leading heat resistance capabilities (300kW@51℃), which can reduce power loss caused by high temperatures. Combined with an intelligent fan dust removal design, it can address the problem of desert dust. The 4.4MW/8.8MW centralized inverter and booster unit resists extreme environments such as sand and heat through an IP65 fully enclosed heat exchange design, ensuring long-term stable operation. 
A large number of high-quality projects in the Middle East are located in the hilly and sloping areas of the Gobi Desert. The traditional large-scale earthwork leveling schemes are costly. To address this challenge, many Chinese enterprises have oriented their solutions towards customer needs and have introduced solutions that are tailored to local conditions. 
    CITIC Power has launched the "Adapting to the Terrain" solution. Its Skyline II tracking support system, which is widely used in the Middle East market, can directly adapt to natural slopes of 15% in the east-west direction and 20% in the north-south direction. It does not require large-scale land leveling, thus effectively reducing the cost of earthwork. Moreover, it is equipped with four protection modes including strong winds, hail, heavy snow, and floods, which can precisely calculate the optimal parking and protection strategies under various adverse weather conditions, achieving the optimal solution for various complex scenarios worldwide. 
    The multiple intelligent tracking supports of Antai New Energy have overcome terrain limitations through technological innovation. The supports adopt a multi-point drive design, which can adjust the angle of the supports according to local terrain to ensure overall tracking accuracy. The latest generation of AT-Spark tracking supports have also made independent research and development innovations in the bearing seat part. With patented double spherical bearings, the main shaft can automatically adapt to the north-south slope, with a maximum adjustment slope of 8.5°, and significantly reduce the workload of manual adjustment. The integrated snap-fit bearing seat structure of its supporting components enables high-level pre-assembly, making on-site installation faster, more accurate and more stable. 
    Mebet has launched a fixed support solution that is suitable for terrains with large slopes and long depth. This solution is tailor-made for the Middle East market, offering a reliable, novel and practical option. It demonstrates the company's sophisticated structural design and rich experience. The preferred fixed supports achieve consistency in meeting customer requirements and product design through highly customized base selection, high-strength emerging materials, and flexible adjustable structural design. It meets the stringent environmental requirements of the Middle East region, which are characterized by high temperatures, high salt content, and strong sulfur corrosion, and can handle various landform challenges such as sand dune subsidence, hill undulation, and desert and steppe areas with ease. 
    Meanwhile, Maibet has innovated and introduced a series of flat single-axis intelligent tracking support systems. These products can be customized according to the inverter string and terrain, providing the market with diverse solutions such as vertical 1/2 row (1P/2P), dual-row linkage + AI intelligent management. They possess intelligent protection mechanisms and safety protection functions for all scenarios, including anti-sand, anti-wind, and anti-snow, ensuring the long-term stable operation of the system while effectively breaking through the limitations of complex installation environments. 
Value Exporting: From Equipment Supply to Full-Cycle Solutions 
    In recent years, the photovoltaic market in the Middle East has been moving from an exploratory stage dominated by individual projects to a more systematic and large-scale development stage. This change also means that the requirements for market participants are no longer limited to products and technologies themselves, but extend to system integration and the evolution of full life cycle value creation. 
    For instance, in the Middle East, as the penetration rate of renewable energy increases rapidly, the local power grid has increasingly strict requirements for peak-shaving capacity, output smoothness, and power supply stability. Therefore, large-scale photovoltaic-storage power stations with high proportion of energy storage and even off-grid operation capabilities have become the new favorite in the market. 
    Among all the Chinese enterprises, the practice of TTE New Energy is quite representative. To precisely meet the dual demands of this region for "high reliability" and "high economy", TTE New Energy has launched an intelligent string-type grid-connected energy storage system. This solution adopts an innovative architecture of string-type PCS (energy storage converter) combined with a liquid-cooled battery system, which highly conforms to the application scenarios in the Middle East where the power grid structure is relatively weak and large-scale power stations generally prefer a high proportion of battery storage or even off-grid operation. 
    Specifically, in terms of safety, the intelligent grid-connected energy storage system of Taweishi New Energy adopts a group-string single-cluster disconnection design, with a smaller disconnection current. Combined with multi-layer segmented protection, it significantly enhances electrical safety. In terms of grid adaptability, the system has strong weak-grid adaptability and supports online grid connection, follow-up grid connection, and a mixed mode of grid connection and grid formation for reconfigurable operation, effectively increasing the short-circuit capacity ratio (SCR) of the regional grid and enhancing grid stability. In terms of economy and operation and maintenance, compared with traditional centralized energy storage, its "one-cluster-one-management" refined control can increase battery discharge capacity by 4.52% to 10.29%, reduce the life-cycle electricity cost (LCOS) by 5.7%, and at the same time, the modular design of the PCS makes supplementary charging and maintenance more convenient and refined. This solution is providing strong technical support for the high-quality development of the energy storage market in the Middle East. 
    Furthermore, to meet the requirements of Middle Eastern users for "advanced technology and controllable costs", the solutions provided by Chinese enterprises integrate "cost reduction and efficiency improvement" into every aspect of product and system design. 
    During the initial investment stage, optimized design directly reduced capital expenditures. For instance, the Jinko "Molun Blue" modules can save customers 0.003 yuan per watt for grounding costs and 0.025 yuan per watt for the initial investment of cleaning robots; Zhongxing Bosheng Tianji II Pro achieves a reduction of 3.27% in the steel usage per megawatt for the main beams and columns by adopting a rounded corner square tube main beam design while ensuring structural strength; Antai New Energy's AT-Spark tracking support adopts an optimized octagonal tube main shaft design, which enhances structural performance while reducing material costs by approximately 30% and reducing the number of pile foundations by about 20% through extending the single row length. 
    During the 25-year operation period, these technological advantages have continuously translated into considerable operational cost savings and power generation gains. Taking a 100MW power station as an example, the self-cleaning feature of the "Moilan Blue" components can reduce the frequency of manual cleaning by approximately half. It is estimated that the cumulative savings in operational costs over the entire life cycle could reach 6 million yuan. Intelligent tracking systems of support structure enterprises such as CITIC Power, Antai New Energy, and Maibet can enhance the solar energy capture efficiency of the power station, increasing the power generation by 15%-20%, thereby increasing the power generation revenue of the power station and further reducing the cost per kilowatt-hour. 
    It can be foreseen that in this promising yet challenging region of the Middle East, Chinese photovoltaic enterprises, leveraging their technological strength, system solutions, and deep localization strategies, are transforming themselves into another strategic stronghold for their global expansion.