SYDNEY, May 8 (Xinhua) — China’s photovoltaic (PV) industry has achieved many innovative breakthroughs, and its development experience is worth studying by other countries, said a leading Australian expert on PV.
Ned Ekins-Daukes, head of the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua on Wednesday at the 64th Smart Energy Council Conference and Exhibition (Smart Energy 2026) in Sydney.
Even for someone who has visited China many times to tour PV facilities, Ekins-Daukes said he is still astonished by the speed of innovation, adding that he is impressed by China’s strides in the production of silicon photovoltaics feedstock, the automation of manufacturing, and the consolidation of the supply chain.
“The first thing Western countries can learn from China’s approach to scaling clean energy technologies is stability of policy,” he said. “The second thing is the clustering of capability. When they decide to build a factory, it’s not just one building, it’s a whole ecosystem, a whole supply chain built at scale.”
“From outside of China, we should pay more attention to how innovation and technical development take place. We should learn from what is happening inside China rather than just standing outside saying ‘somehow it’s really hard to make solar panels.’ We need to understand why,” he said.
The professor also noted that Chinese PV companies are heading in a new direction under the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which emphasizes high-quality development. “For photovoltaics, that means thinking about how we can get more value from the solar panel,” he said.
The energy market volatility triggered by the current Middle East conflict will further promote Australia-China cooperation in the photovoltaic sector, he added.
During the event, Ekins-Daukes also joined industry leaders from Australia and China at the Australia-China Smart Energy Partnership Forum, where discussions focused on the future of bilateral cooperation in photovoltaics.■
