Although the current situation in the Middle East shows signs of slowing down, the energy awakening triggered by the geopolitical shock is irreversible. In the volatile international energy market, green industries are becoming a new stabilizing force. From lighting up Pakistan’s photovoltaic products, to Chinese technology that helps Vietnam’s garbage “turn waste into treasure”, to modern sewage treatment plants that benefit half of Mongolia’s population …… Global Times reporters will take an in-depth look at the frontline of global green cooperation, record how Chinese wisdom can help countries cope with the energy crisis, improve the ecological environment, train professionals, and see how the “Chinese solution” for green development can take root across the mountains and seas. This issue of the “Green Development Collection” pays special attention to the fact that the logic of the global energy transition seems to have fundamentally changed-in order to reduce dependence on external oil resources, more and more people in countries are spontaneously buying electric vehicles, photovoltaic solar panels …… China’s green industry, represented by the “new three”, is transforming ambitious environmental initiatives into green “hard currency” for more families to resist geopolitical fluctuations by virtue of its scale and cost advantages “.
“As long as there is the sun, I can grow watermelons”
As the throat of about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, the Strait of Hormuz The operation of this important waterway not only affects the global energy market, but also affects the daily lives of people in many countries. Severe fuel shortages, soaring oil prices and the increasingly stretched budgets of many governments are forcing some countries to implement severe austerity policies-from cutting flights to forcing home offices, the world is being forced to embark on a survival experiment to reduce oil dependence.
For Pakistan, which is highly dependent on external energy input, 80% of its oil and most of its liquefied natural gas need to be transported through the Strait of Hormuz. In this context, distributed photovoltaic equipment, which has been widely used in Pakistan’s urban and rural areas in recent years, is playing an energy buffer role, enabling millions of households to maintain basic power security in the crisis.
In the remote village of Dasht in Balochistan, Pakistan, farmer Karim Baksh was once mired in a fuel crisis. For years, his crops have relied on a diesel-powered pump to pump water from the ground to irrigate the land. According to Qatar’s Al Jazeera TV station, since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2022 triggered the first round of fuel prices soaring, Bakshi has begun to find it difficult to afford expensive diesel for daily use. “It has become impossible to run the water pump on diesel every day.” He said. Due to the lack of water, the melon fields began to wither. In some seasons, he had to reduce his farming area. “No water, no crops, no crops, no income.” He added.
Then in 2023, he made what at the time seemed to be a risky decision: he borrowed 300000 Pakistani rupees (100 Pakistani rupees is about 2.4 yuan) from relatives and friends to install a row of solar panels next to the field. Three years later, the gamble paid off. “Now, I don’t care if the price of diesel goes up,” he said proudly, pointing to the blazing sun overhead. “As long as there is sun, I can grow watermelons.”
Such stories are not uncommon in Pakistan. Looking down from the sky above cities such as Lahore and Islamabad, you will see a special scenery-the roofs of scattered buildings are covered with blue solar panels. Even in the countryside, solar panels can be seen everywhere, and 95% of these photovoltaic modules are imported from China.
According to the Global Times special correspondent in Pakistan, after millions of people in Pakistan experienced multiple power outages in 2022, people began to realize the alternative of solar energy. With the falling cost of solar panels, coupled with government incentives, solar energy has become a necessity for survival in rural areas where electricity supply is unstable. According to Ember, a global energy think tank, the share of solar power in Pakistan increased fivefold between 2021 and 2025. It is these solar panels all over the urban and rural areas of this South Asian country that help it resist the energy crisis caused by the situation in the Middle East.
Hasambi, a rural farmer in Cape Province, Pakistan, told reporters that under the background of high electricity charges, the cost of installing solar panels can be wiped out in 2 to 3 years. In addition, because of its high quality and practicality, Hasambi said that in the local village, a Chinese solar panel can even be used as a dowry, “practical, novel and modern”.
The widespread use of solar energy has somewhat reduced the country’s vulnerability to the energy crisis. Nabia Imran, a partner at Pakistan’s energy and environmental protection think tank Renewables First, said that although the Middle East war is bound to bring some impact, the promotion of distributed solar energy in Pakistan has played a buffer role in resolving the energy crisis. Imran bluntly: “If Pakistan did not develop solar energy, the situation could be much worse.”
Back to Shite, Baksh is busy loading melons and fruits onto pickup trucks and trucks to the nearby market. Although fuel prices fluctuate and downstream transportation links are still full of variables, the certainty of his production is in his own hands and no longer subject to the turbulent global situation. “No matter what happens, the water will always flow to the fields.”
Sales of electric vehicles and photovoltaic products have soared
In the face of fluctuating oil prices and supply gaps, many governments and companies have begun to re-account for energy “books”. The shifts taking place in Pakistan’s fields are rapidly converging into a global energy transition.
In Laos, due to fuel shortages, more than 40% of gas stations across the country have announced the suspension of operations. Gas stations in many regions have long queues. Many people queue for hours to add a few liters of fuel. In this context, China’s electric two-wheeler accidentally exploded. In the downtown stores of Vientiane, many Chinese electric car brands even sold out for a time, resulting in a situation of short supply.
Hong Kong’s Bus Daily quoted the head of an electric motorcycle company in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province, as saying that the company’s inventory in the Southeast Asian market was almost sold out and needed urgent replenishment. “Orders have increased significantly recently. In March alone, we exported more than 6000 e-bikes, and in April we will ship more than 7000. Our production orders have been lined up to July.”
“In recent years, China’s electric vehicles have grown strongly in markets such as Australia, and its electric two-wheeler market in Southeast Asia has been expanding rapidly before the current crisis.” Tan Hao, a professor of management at the University of Nottingham Ningbo, said, “The recent increase in oil prices will further accelerate this trend.”
Not only in the field of electric mobility, the transformation of renewable energy applications has accelerated significantly in many regions. Reuters reported that from Indonesia to Uruguay, sales of electric vehicles continue to soar, and the popularity rate has far exceeded that of the United States. In India, sales of induction cookers have increased significantly due to concerns about gas supply security. In some developing countries, PV installed capacity has entered a period of rapid growth. In Nigeria, more and more homes and businesses are abandoning backup generators in favor of solar systems. European governments are also investing more in renewable energy. Germany recently launched a € 8 billion plan to expand wind power capacity and subsidize electric car sales.
Today, the global preference for green energy is not entirely due to environmental awareness, but because they have become the most economical choice on the ledger. The sharp fall in the cost of solar panels and wind turbines in recent years has accelerated this transformation. An analysis by the United Nations last year pointed out that more than 90% of the world’s new renewable energy projects have lower power generation costs than traditional fossil energy.
In this cost revolution, made in China is playing a key “toolbox” role. Research by VoxEU, a think tank platform, shows that thanks to the scale effect and technological evolution of China’s photovoltaic capacity, the cost of photovoltaic power generation has been reduced by more than 90% in just ten years (2004-2013). This change has fundamentally reshaped the global energy acquisition logic, making clean energy competitive with fossil fuels and significantly helping other countries reduce carbon emissions.
Khalid, an economics professor and energy expert at Helwan University in Egypt, said in an interview with a reporter from the Global Times on the 8th: “When oil prices are pushed up by the war, the sunshine of the desert is more trustworthy.” He believes that the energy shocks surrounding the situation in the Middle East are forcing developing countries to rethink energy security. In Khalid’s view, the reality is already clear: “Oil determines risk, and the sun, determines confidence.”
“China has become a safety super lever to leverage the energy landscape”
“Renewable energy and its related technologies are increasingly seen as energy security tools.” Escrivano, a senior researcher on energy and climate at the Elcano Royal Institute, a think tank in Madrid, said in an interview with the CNBC website that after the war in the Middle East, countries’ views on renewable energy “will definitely” change. Today, the transition to clean energy is no longer simply an environmental choice, but is more seen as a way to enhance domestic energy security.
An analysis released by Ember in December last year showed that “electrification-related technologies” covering solar, wind, batteries, and electrified transportation, heating, and industry have become the most important global energy growth last year. The driving force, and this trend is largely due to China becoming the world’s first “electrified country”.
Ember Research Manager Sloss contrasts this transition trend with previous energy transitions in Europe. In his view, just as the Ukraine crisis forced Europe to reduce its dependence on natural gas, the turmoil in the Strait of Hormuz will push Asia to reduce its dependence on oil. The difference is that the technology available this time will cost less. Electric vehicles alone have the potential to save importing countries more than $600 billion a year in oil spending. Slous described the shift as a “safety super lever” to leverage the energy landscape “.
For countries with limited economic reserves, such as Pakistan, this “leverage” comes at an opportune time. Lin Boqiang, Dean of the China Energy Policy Research Institute of Xiamen University, said in an interview with a reporter from the Global Times on the 8th that for countries that are extremely vulnerable to the international oil crisis and fall into energy shortages, China’s green energy program can just solve this problem. problem. This is not only about the needs of green and low-carbon transformation, but more importantly, green energy is essentially a local energy source. And this sense of security is not far away. The advantage of China’s plan is that the deployment is extremely fast-the deployment can be completed in as little as 6 months, which is the most effective way to deal with energy shortages in the short term.
Lin Boqiang believes that the obstruction of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz will prompt many countries to readjust their energy strategies. China’s exploration of the green energy development path of “scenery storage + electric vehicles” has taken into account the green transformation while ensuring energy security. The maturity of this model provides a feasible reference for the global response to the energy crisis.
And this may not only be a temporary “flat”. The US “Fortune” magazine analyzed that the oil embargo in the 1970 s caused American drivers to switch to energy-saving Japanese cars, and they never drove back to the United States. Sustained price spikes could lead to a permanent shift in consumption patterns-when high oil prices force households and businesses to switch from fuel to electricity, the “demand destruction” of old energy sources has already taken place.
A completely new development path is clearly visible. Ember head Dane Walter said: “People used to think that economic development must rely on fossil fuels, but the current energy crisis has once again exposed the fragility of this path, especially for those who spend billions of dollars a year to import fuel. In terms of emerging economies.” He also emphasized: “Unlike in the past, there is now a practical alternative path: electrification technology is now not only cheaper, more accessible, and easy to scale, but also provides broad prospects for energy independence and energy enrichment, which will Provide impetus for economic growth.”
