Sungrow Power Supply (300274.SZ), a leading solar and energy storage manufacturer, signed an agreement on May 21 with Masdar, an international renewable energy company, to supply 7.5GWh of PowerTitan 3.0 liquid-cooled energy storage systems and 2.6GW solar inverters for the UAE's RTC (Round-The-Clock) 1 Plant (North) project. This contract represents a significant expansion of Sungrow's presence in Middle Eastern markets, following its 7.8GWh project with Saudi Arabia's ALGIHAZ in 2024. The RTC project is described as the world's first gigawatt-scale round-the-clock renewable energy project and the largest deployment of 684Ah stacked battery cells globally.
PowerTitan 3.0 Technology and Project Specifications
Sungrow's PowerTitan 3.0 system employs an AC storage architecture with integrated liquid-cooling cabinets, eliminating direct current risk through internal short-circuit prevention. The system uses cluster-level management to prevent cascading failures across units, improving overall system uptime. The project will deploy 3.44 million 684Ah stacked battery cells with energy density improvements exceeding 10 percent, reducing initial station investment. The system is designed to operate continuously at 8-hour charging and 16-hour discharge cycles. Upon grid connection in 2027, the project is projected to reduce carbon emissions by approximately 5.7 million tons annually, supporting the UAE's 2050 energy strategy.
Sungrow's Middle East Market Expansion
Sungrow's Middle East operations began in 2022 with a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power for the NEOM project, supplying 536MW/600MWh of energy storage. In May 2024, Sungrow signed a supply agreement with Larsen & Toubro for Saudi Arabia's Amaala luxury resort complex, providing 165MW solar inverters and 160MW/760MWh energy storage. In July 2024, Sungrow contracted with ALGIHAZ for a 7.8GWh project, which achieved full capacity grid connection by the end of 2025, becoming the world's largest grid-connected energy storage project.
Driven by large Middle Eastern projects, Sungrow's overseas revenue exceeded 60 percent for the first time in 2025. ALGIHAZ became Sungrow's largest customer in 2024, generating sales exceeding 4 billion yuan, representing 4.50 percent of annual total sales.
RTC Project Overview and Masdar's Role
Masdar, a UAE government-backed renewable energy company established in 2006, is leading the RTC project in Abu Dhabi's Mshayrif area in partnership with the UAE Water and Electricity Company. The RTC project is the world's largest solar-storage installation, featuring 5.2GW of solar capacity paired with 19GWh of battery storage, representing a milestone for the UAE's energy transition.
Chinese Suppliers in the RTC Project
Multiple Chinese enterprises are participating in the RTC project. In January 2025, Masdar selected CATL (300750.SZ/03750.HK) as its preferred battery energy storage system supplier, with CATL providing Tian Heng battery storage systems, though no formal supply contract has been publicly signed. Also in January 2025, Longi Green Energy (688223.SH) was named the preferred solar component supplier; in April 2025, Longi formally signed a 2GW high-efficiency solar module supply agreement to provide Tiger Neo components.
China State Construction Engineering (601669.SH) and India's Larsen & Toubro serve as engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors. The RTC project is divided into northern and southern sections, with China State Construction responsible for the northern block, which includes 2.1GW direct-current solar capacity and 7.75GWh energy storage. In March 2025, China State Construction formally signed the EPC contract valued at approximately 139.62 billion yuan.
China's Energy Storage Export Surge
Sungrow's successive Middle East breakthroughs reflect broader trends in China's energy storage export sector. According to the China Energy Storage Application Alliance's industrial database, Chinese enterprises secured 124 energy storage orders totaling 104.63GWh in the first quarter of 2026. Orders span Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the Americas, and Australia.
The Middle East remains a strategic market for Chinese storage enterprises despite regional complexities. The region receives average annual solar radiation exceeding 2,000 kilowatt-hours per square meter, making it one of the world's best solar resource areas. Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and the UAE's 2050 Energy Strategy drive large-scale renewable energy base construction. Weak local grid infrastructure often requires high energy storage ratios for new renewable projects, creating substantial demand for large-scale storage systems.
