Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are taking advantage of falling prices to load up on Chinese-made battery energy storage systems, so they can boost their renewable energy ambitions.

Battery storage systems are seen as crucial to integrating solar and wind energy into electrical grids. The systems soak up excess power that can be released back into the system when renewable energy is not available — for example at night — and are one of the fastest-growing uses for batteries.

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia and the UAE had been slower to develop renewables than many countries that have to import energy. Saudi Arabia still burns oil to generate electricity, which accounted for just under half its power-generating capacity in 2023, according to BloombergNEF. The International Energy Agency’s latest data shows that the Middle East region accounts for 13 per cent of the world’s fossil fuel investments, but contributes just 2 per cent of those in clean energy.