(Yicai Global) May 26 -- Europe will continue to have strong demand for solar energy storage devices, which store the electric power generated by home photovoltaic systems, for a long time, as many European countries aim to eliminate traditional sources of energy by 2030, an executive at Chinese renewable energy giant GCL System Integration Technology said.

“The boom will definitely last at least another three to five years, even if the Russia-Ukraine conflict ends soon,” Cheng Jue, deputy general manager of GCL System’s energy storage division, said at the ongoing 16th International Photovoltaic Power Generation and Smart Energy Conference & Exhibition in Shanghai.

GCL System, which previously mainly exported solar panels to Europe, started to branch into the region’s energy storage equipment market earlier this year. The firm mainly supplies households in Europe, and its products retail at a price 20 percent higher than in China.

GCL System’s orders for energy storage devices have more than quadrupled in the second quarter from the first quarter, Cheng said. Since the Spring Festival break in January, orders and enquiries have been on the increase and existing customers are also giving more feedback, he added.

The Suzhou, eastern Jiangsu-based company already has customers in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium and the firm also plans to explore the Spanish and UK markets later this year, Cheng said.

Due to soaring demand for solar systems and batteries, some families need to wait a long time for a technician to come to their homes to install the equipment as in many European countries there just aren’t enough electricians, a person working at a solar firm told Yicai Global.

Sungrow Power Supply has also received several large solar energy storage system orders from Europe since the beginning of the year, a person in charge of the energy storage business at the PV inverter maker said.

And more Chinese firms are considering building factories in Europe now that the European Union is encouraging the manufacturing of energy storage equipment locally amid strong demand, Yicai Global learned.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor