John Grimes, chief executive of the Smart Energy Council, receives an interview with Xinhua in Sydney, Australia, May 4, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua/Ma Ping)
SYDNEY, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Win-win cooperation between Australia and China will play a key role in accelerating the energy transition in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond as the global energy landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, a leader of Australia's peak industry body has said.
John Grimes, chief executive of the Smart Energy Council, said in a recent interview with Xinhua that the two countries have built decades of collaboration in renewable energy.
DECADES OF WIN-WIN PARTNERSHIP
Australia has been at the forefront of solar power developments since the 1970s, he said, adding that now Chinese solar companies have grown into players that "really dominate the whole world" with strong advantages in scale, technology and cost.
"It's an area where there are already deep relationship and friendship over many decades," he said. "It's great to see that technology, in partnership with China, (is being) manufactured at scale and deployed right around the world."
He emphasized the accelerating global shift toward renewable energy, highlighting how recent geopolitical disruptions have exposed systemic vulnerabilities and driven a growing push for more resilient, locally controlled energy systems.
"We're looking forward to a win-win partnership where both sides really get some benefit," Grimes said. "We can transition our region and our world quickly, and that should be our objective."
He said that governments and communities all around the world are waking up to the fact that renewable energy is not just about clean or cheaper energy, but also about energy sovereignty and energy security.
"There's been a fundamental change, even if the situation in the Middle East was resolved today. The disruptive impact on this, in educating people in their thinking about just how exposed those international supply chains are, will change the game forever," Grimes said.
Amid an energy crisis driven by the Middle East conflict, alongside ongoing development challenges and rising living costs, he said that smart energy could be seen as "the light in the darkness."
"I think smart energy gives people hope. It's the light in the darkness. It's energy security and energy sovereignty," Grimes said. "I think it's a really exciting development."
BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY IN ASIA-PACIFIC
Grimes noted that while Australia and China have achieved relatively high levels of renewable energy adoption, many countries in the Asia-Pacific are still at an early stage. "So we want to give them the products, the confidence, the policies to transition quickly," he said.
Tracing its history back to 1954, the Smart Energy Council is the peak body for Australia's renewable energy and smart energy sectors.
After nearly 18 years leading the organization, Grimes will finish in the role later this month to focus on his position as chief executive of the Renewable Energy Council Asia-Pacific, which was initiated by the Smart Energy Council and launched in 2024 at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
"The Asia-Pacific region is the source of the carbon solutions, the innovation, the products, the finance, and the deployment," Grimes said.
"I think the biggest opportunity before the world today is the rapid transformation and transition of the Asia-Pacific region," he said. "We've learned a lot in terms of our partnership with China that we can leverage and use around the region and around the world."
"STAR WARS-LIKE SET" IN CHINESE MANUFACTURING PLANTS
China's investment in renewable energy technologies, its scale of production, and its real-world deployment are all remarkable, Grimes said, adding that by leveraging low-cost and clean energy, China has also significantly enhanced its economic competitiveness.
"So that's why I'm really pleased to shine a spotlight on the fantastic leadership that China is playing in this field and to say clearly to the world that's a model that we should follow," he said.
Reflecting his experience with China's renewable energy sector, Grimes said he has lost count of how many times he has visited China, after having toured around 40 photovoltaic manufacturing companies and visited about 25 battery or inverter firms and many electric vehicle companies.
"So I've seen really right across the ecosystem, all of the different technology types and companies. And I've been super impressed also by the innovation and the drive of the Chinese people who work in these companies," he said.
During the interview, Grimes enthusiastically shared his experiences visiting some top-tier Chinese companies, noting that the large-scale manufacturing by industrial robots in many factories was particularly impressive.
"Truly, I felt like I was entering the set of Star Wars. When I was a child, that was such a big and famous film. And now I saw Star Wars for real -- that very advanced ecosystem," he said.