It has interests in international civil aviation, trade and logistics, retail and high-end consumables, real estate and hotel management, electronics manufacturing and natural resource development. Diversifying is strategically important for some large State-owned enterprises, according to analysts.

One reason AVIC entered the renewables industry was Premier Li Keqiang's declaration of "war" on smog at home with a commitment to shut coal-fired power plants and increase clean-energy production.

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"We're entering a new century and a new era," Pan said. "People are facing a global warming threat and we need to work together to protect our beautiful nature and environment. As a State-owned company, we take more responsibilities."

Britain is a more attractive investment destination for the solar industry than most other European countries as the government better subsidizes the sector, Lou said.

The UK's largest solar power station is in the central county of Leicestershire and has a capacity of 33 mw.

The British government plans to increase the total installed generating capacity to 20 gigawatts by 2020, leading to suggestions that there will be a major spike in activity in the solar market.

Last year, 25 percent of AVIC's revenue came from overseas markets, and the goal is to raise that to 50 percent, Pan said.

"We are seeking to give solutions to renewable energy and energy efficiency for UK, China and across the world," he said.

AVIC International has signed a preliminary agreement with London-based Sustainable Development Capital LLP as part of the UK-China energy efficiency investment fund. The two want to bring the best international technologies and services to China, complemented by Chinese expertise.

"China's industrial base and also its retail, commercial and healthcare assets offer an enormous opportunity for energy savings," SDC CEO Jonathan Maxwell said. "Our collaboration with AVIC is a potentially transformative opportunity to partner with a major Chinese company and the Chinese government to address one of the fastest-growing sectors of the world energy markets."

Zhou Heran contributed to this story.