Why are Chinese solar manufacturers like Longi shifting into the battery business?

Chinese solar manufacturers are turning to batteries for growth because demand for large-scale energy storage has boomed due to the intermittency of solar and wind power, offering a new revenue stream amid persistent losses in their core solar businesses; Longi’s chairman Zhong Baoshen stated they aim for their energy storage business to reach a scale comparable to their solar business within about five years.

What challenges do Chinese battery makers face as they expand, according to the news?

The rapid buildout of battery capacity has raised concerns that energy storage could suffer the same crisis as solar—overcapacity and cutthroat pricing—prompting China’s government to summon leading battery makers twice in 2025 to warn against repeating the mistakes that damaged other renewables industries, including the solar sector which has been summoned at least three times over the same period.

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