Founded in Jiangyin by entrepreneur Zhang Lei, Envision began as a wind turbine manufacturer but has since expanded its mission to become an “operating system” for the clean-energy transition, tying together electricity generation, energy storage, and fuel production.
Envision’s flagship project, in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, has transformed a coal-dependent region into a showcase for industrial decarbonization. The facility produces batteries for electric vehicles, manufactures wind turbines, and generates green hydrogen—all powered entirely by wind and solar energy.
Wind power has always struggled with reliability. Seasonal and hourly swings in wind patterns make it difficult to depend on turbines for steady, large-scale supply. Envision’s “smart turbine” technology helps to mitigate those fluctuations by treating wind farms as coordinated networks rather than isolated machines. Each turbine analyzes wind conditions in real time, adjusts its performance, and synchronizes with others to capture more energy. Early results suggest this system can increase generation by roughly 15% compared to conventional turbines.
It is also testing a two-blade turbine design that it hopes could generate the same amount of electricity as a typical three-blade turbine while using fewer materials.
The company has also invested heavily in green hydrogen, seen as one of the few options for decarbonizing sectors that cannot easily switch to using electricity, such as steel, chemicals, and shipping. Its facility in Inner Mongolia is among the largest of its kind, designed to produce 320,000 tons of green ammonia annually (a compound of hydrogen and nitrogen that’s used as a clean fuel).
Key indicators
- Industry: Renewable energy
- Founded: 2007
- Headquarters: Shanghai, China
- Notable fact: Envision claims its renewable energy systems have prevented 200 million tons of CO2 emissions—equivalent to removing 43 million cars from the road for a year.
Potential for impact
Industrial emissions are among the hardest to tackle. Many manufacturing processes depend on extreme heat and chemical reactions that cannot easily be powered with electricity alone. Envision’s Ordos project in Inner Mongolia is the largest of its kind, generating clean heat and fuel on-site while easing pressure on the grid.
The company now wants to replicate the idea abroad, with plans for an integrated green hydrogen park in Spain (the first of its kind in Europe), a net-zero industrial park in Brazil, and another in Australia. All remain in early stages of development, but if they succeed, they could offer a blueprint for decarbonizing heavy industry without sacrificing competitiveness or jobs.
A second piece of the puzzle is energy reliability. Industrial operations need steady, predictable power—a challenge for wind and solar. Envision’s “smart turbine” technology aims to close that gap by boosting wind farm efficiency and improving forecasting. For factories trying to run entirely on renewables, that added stability could make the difference between a pilot project and a viable long-term shift.