A Smart Energy Council delegation has returned from an intensive week-long visit to China, delivering a vivid account of the nation’s extraordinary scale, technological sophistication and fast-moving smart-energy ecosystem. The team — Nigel Morris, Yuan Fang and Alistair McGrath-Kerr — spent the week engaging with manufacturers, policy makers and global solar and electrification experts.
Despite Nigel Morris’ 34 years in the solar industry, this was his first visit to China — an experience he described as “completely blown away by the astounding mix of technological progress and scale, enveloped by a mesmerizingly rich cultural history.” The contrast of world-leading smart-energy innovation set against thousands of years of cultural heritage proved a defining highlight of the trip.
The delegation began its visit with SEC member GoodWe, who invited the Smart Energy Council to join their 15-year anniversary celebrations. Hundreds of GoodWe partners and staff from every corner of the globe attended the two-day event. The first day centred around a major conference featuring GoodWe founder Daniel Huang and a wide range of technology specialists who demonstrated just how far the company has expanded beyond its origins as an inverter manufacturer. Today, GoodWe produces large-scale battery systems, heat pumps, EV charging products, VPP solutions, and an extensive suite of solar technologies including BIPV – which is fully integrated into their multi-storey headquarters, publicly showcasing their commitment to innovation.
Speakers from across the world – including representatives from the Philippines, South Africa, Pakistan and Australia – presented on the accelerating adoption of electrification technologies in their respective markets. Remarkably, almost every presentation referenced Australia, reinforcing the nation’s growing global reputation as a leader in solar deployment, innovative grid management and distributed storage. Daniel Huang described Australia’s impact succinctly, stating: “Australia’s energy leadership and growth is directly influencing almost every part of China’s world-class manufacturing and software capability in smart energy.”
The SEC delegation noted that while Australia is still seeking stronger sovereign manufacturing capacity, China’s rapid smart-energy advancement has been partly fuelled by technology and intellectual property transfer from Australian universities and research institutions, combined with market-driven innovation and strong consumer appetite at home.
The second day involved extensive facility tours at multiple GoodWe sites. The team witnessed smart homes of the future, gigawatt-scale solar and battery manufacturing and deployment, and vast multi-storey robotic warehouses that automatically manage battery storage and logistics. The delegation also visited highly sophisticated virtual power plant (VPP) control centres responsible for coordinating batteries, solar, grid services and flexible loads. One standout demonstration showed how Chinese EV owners receive app-based prompts to sell energy back to the grid at nearby bidirectional charging stations – a glimpse into how consumer-side energy markets may evolve globally.
The day concluded with a banquet highlighting GoodWe’s renowned hospitality, followed by a cultural immersion on day three. Delegates explored ancient sites, learning about China’s dynastic history and experiencing firsthand the depth of cultural identity that exists alongside the country’s ultra-modern energy sector. The SEC praised GoodWe’s seamless coordination of five full busloads of international visitors, creating countless opportunities for networking, relationship building and cross-country knowledge sharing.
After a free Sunday of exploration, the delegation boarded a high-speed train across the Yangtze Delta, crossing vast megacities divided by enormous rivers and thousands of canals. Joined by colleagues from the Australia China Innovation Association and a lively group of Australian solar and EV specialists, the team embarked on several more days of intensive site visits with leading companies in hardware, software, robotics and autonomous transport. These included demonstrations of fully robotic vehicles and immersive VR presentations showing how Chinese VPP and energy-management platforms service tens of millions of households and businesses.
Across every stop, the SEC team observed the same themes: pace, precision, vision and scale. The visit underscored not only how far China has progressed but also the immense intellectual and engineering capabilities the country has built in remarkably short time. For the delegation, the trip highlighted both the opportunities for Australian collaboration and the necessity of keeping pace with global advancements as the smart-energy transition accelerates.
