SKYWORTH, a leading Chinese home appliance company that has recently expanded into the solar-plus-storage business, participated in SNEC 2026. On the sidelines of the show, TaiyangNews Managing Director Michael Schmela, spoke with Executive President & General Manager of Overseas Business Division, SKYWORTH Solar CIO, SKYWORTH Group, Wanfei Qu. During the interview, Qu discussed the company’s growth strategy and product roadmap. The following is an edited transcript of the interview.
TaiyangNews: We are standing in front of a television (TV) at your booth. Can you please explain how you, a globally recognized TV brand, got into solar PV and how this journey evolved?
Wanfei Qu: We have been a home appliance provider for 38 years now. We entered the solar segment 6 years back, starting in 2020 and have already installed more than 29.3 GW capacity globally. The logic behind this expansion to solar from home appliance businesses is multifold. Home appliances and residential solar both serve individual consumers and are built for different residential use cases. We have a strong understanding of our customers and residential installation environments, supported by an established network of distributors, installers, and the expertise to manage them effectively.
Our installers do not need to source materials themselves, as we provide everything required for installation. This allows us to maintain control over warehousing, suppliers, and logistics. This integrated approach helps us efficiently manage our large network of partners.
Given this experience and successes, we expanded into the commercial & industrial (C&I) segments, where the consumers are experiencing high electricity bills, particularly in China. As a result, factory owners need to save money more urgently than household consumers. Initially, we approached our upstream component suppliers, nearly 700, that provide components for our TV business, as C&I clients, and showcased our products. Over time, these efforts led many factory owners to engage us to install solar capacity at their factories. Our expansion in the C&I segment was also driven by the Chinese Government’s policy of installing solar farms in factories.
In addition, we operate 20 manufacturing facilities. We also received government allocations for up to 2 GW of wind and 2–3 GW of solar power projects in China. This experience in developing utility-scale renewable energy projects laid the foundation for our global expansion.
TaiyangNews: You started in China’s residential segment, then expanded into C&I and further into utility solar farms. After that, you move beyond Chinese borders, where you have good and active distribution channels. Can you utilize the same channels in Europe, where the electricity tariffs are higher. How the product and strategy differ from China?
Wanfei Qu: We leverage our strengths in China replicating successful approaches for some products, while building some businesses from ground up wherever necessary. We can also benefit from existing distribution channels and local market knowledge. For example, Germany and Italy were our initial targets in Europe because our TV business is particularly strong in those markets. We already have local offices, regional operations, and teams there. This helped reduce costs and supported recruitment efforts.
In Southeast Asia, we rank second in the TV market in the Philippines and Malaysia, and third in Indonesia. Succeeding in the solar business requires a deeper understanding of local customer preferences than selling TVs or home appliances. For example, in Thailand it took us two months to convince our first client to install a residential energy system for a 25-year contract—a long contract period for people to commit to since we are a foreign company and may not operate in the country for that long. To address this, we shortened the contract to 6 pages from 20 pages, with a service period of up to 8 years. We also took a portable TV set to the client’s home to take advantage of SKYWORTH as a home appliance maker. In China, we previously supported solar sales by offering free home appliances with solar installations. Building on that experience, we launched a campaign in Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia on June 1, 2026, offering customers a free TV with solar installations to watch the FIFA World Cup.
TaiyangNews: With plug-in solar systems reducing the need for installers and electricians, how is your company addressing the residential market, given the growing demand from EVs and heat pumps on one hand, and apartment dwellers adopting plug-in solar on the other?
Wanfei Qu: We are planning to launch balcony solar products in Europe as the next step in our strategy. The product range will include systems that can be installed on the ground, balcony, or wall, or railings, targeting consumers, wanting to reduce their electricity bill, in condos or apartments. We have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Jingdong, an online Chinese e-commerce company behind Joybuy. With this partnership, we want to position balcony solar systems more like household appliances, enabling next-day delivery. The products will initially be launched in Germany, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Western France. We plan to launch our black balcony PV system on June 18 on Jingdong’s national shopping day. We will also showcase these products at Intersolar Europe.
TaiyangNews: Could you tell us about your product, manufacturing and sourcing strategy? Also, how do you market your products or user experiences you have received so far?
Wanfei Qu: We provide complete solar solutions and support customers throughout the product lifecycle, rather than simply selling equipment. In Germany, for instance, we have tailor-made products, because the market is highly mature and consumers have knowledge of solar. There is another opportunity emerging in this market as many PV systems installed over 20 years ago now need replacement.
TaiyangNews: Thank you so much for the interview.