China is pulling ahead in the global energy race, outpacing the United States as it ramps up exports of clean technology. While the U.S. continues to rely heavily on fossil fuels, China is rapidly expanding its footprint in electric vehicles, solar panels, batteries, and other carbon-cutting products.
The country has been increasing its clean energy exports for years, and 2025 has been another significant year. In August alone, the country sent $20 billion worth of clean energy products to international markets, according to Ember, a London-based energy think tank.
Growth is strong in both value and volume: solar exports have increased even as prices have declined, with a record 46,000 megawatts of solar power capacity exported in a single month.
Electric vehicles and batteries are now the fastest-growing sectors, surpassing solar as China’s top clean energy exports. New factories are running at full capacity, and more than half of this year’s electric car exports have gone to emerging markets outside the OECD. Africa, for example, imported 60% more Chinese solar panels over the past year, reaching an installed capacity of over 15 GW.
The edge for China is scale, efficiency, and cost. It creates clean technologies that developing nations could afford for energy. While China already consumes most of what it produces — the country remains one of the world’s largest energy consumers — its export strength is shaping global markets, according to experts.
The U.S. is doubling its fossil fuel exports
As China zips forward with clean energy, the United States is doubling down on fossil fuels. In 2024, it exported roughly 30% of its primary energy output — mostly oil and gas — according to the Energy Information Administration .
The U.S. is now a major power in world oil exports. Crude exports had reached roughly 4.2 million barrels per day in September 2025, the highest level in 18 months, fueled by robust demand in Asia. Exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are also growing, and new LNG export terminals are being built along the Gulf Coast.
Federal subsidies are supporting this push. A recent study found that U.S. fossil fuel companies benefit from approximately $31 billion in government support each year. Critics argue that this undermines global climate commitments, particularly as international funding for fossil fuel projects declines.
At the policy level, Washington has promoted increased oil and gas production, a drive that received renewed momentum during Donald Trump’s first term and continued under Joe Biden. In Trump’s second term, continued rollbacks of regulations are likely to propel the fossil fuel industries further and limit incentives for clean energy technology.
Importers face a sharp divide
For nations that buy American or Chinese energy products, the choice is between two very different futures. Hardware for clean energy — whether solar panels, wind turbines, or EV batteries — is infrastructural in that it can make power for decades. Fossil fuels are used, bought, and used, then must be replaced.
This cleavage is remaking energy politics. China’s clean exports may not always generate more revenue in the short term than American oil and gas sales. Still, the rise of green technology leaves a more lasting legacy of influence — and partnerships with developing economies.
Greg Jackson, the chief executive of Octopus Energy, stated that clean energy exports offer hardware capable of producing power for a decade or two after purchase. In contrast, gas is consumed immediately and is gone forever once used.
It’s not over till it’s over in the fight for energy supremacy. But as more and more solar panels, battery packs, and electric vehicles are shipped to other countries, China’s lead in determining the world’s energy future seems insurmountable.
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