The Red Sea Project in Saudi Arabia is making headlines with the construction of the world’s largest microgrid for storing photovoltaic energy. This ambitious project consists of a 400 MW solar PV system coupled with a 1.3 GWh energy storage system and is set to revolutionize sustainable energy solutions in the hospitality industry.
Global technology giant Huawei is spearheading this groundbreaking project. Led by Red Sea Global, the Red Sea Project aims to power a major tourism destination on the coast of the southwestern province of Tabuk.
This project covers a massive area of 28,000 square kilometers and aims to redefine the future of clean energy and sustainable tourism.
In conjunction with Golf businessAlex Xing, President of Huawei Digital Power for the Middle East and Central Asia, emphasized the importance of this project, saying: “The destination aims to become the world’s first destination powered entirely by clean energy, and Huawei is honored to participate in this project and help Saudi Arabia build a greener and better future through technological innovation.”
A bold vision for sustainable tourism
The Red Sea Project aims to transform the region into a showcase for sustainable tourism. Scheduled for completion by 2030, the project will see the creation of Red Sea City, comprising 50 hotels with 8,000 rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland locations. The city is expected to receive up to one million visitors per year and benefit from off-grid, clean energy.
At the heart of this vision is Huawei’s FusionSolar Smart String Energy Storage Solution (ESS). This solution will enable the Red Sea Project to meet its electricity needs independently. The microgrid solution takes into account the intermittent and fluctuating nature of solar and wind energy. It ensures the safe and stable operation of renewable energy systems.
“Microgrids are nothing new in the energy industry. However, the Red Sea Microgrid is unique because it uses only renewable energy sources and is completely disconnected from any external grid,” said Xing.
“As a pioneer in digital technologies, Huawei is one of the few solution providers that offer cutting-edge power electronics technology and form and stabilize grids using virtual synchronous machines. Thanks to this extensive industry knowledge and solid experience, Huawei was able to take on the challenge of implementing such an ambitious project.”
Huawei’s participation in the Red Sea Project underscores its commitment to sustainability, technological expertise and collaboration. “The Red Sea Project provides an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate this commitment and showcase our industry-leading innovation and technology,” said Xing.
“It is a blueprint for sustainable cities. Through our collaboration with Red Sea Global, Huawei is taking the lead in developing a greener future, one microgrid at a time.”
Expanding global impact
Beyond the Red Sea Project, Huawei is advancing several large-scale solar power projects around the world, strengthening its position as a leader in renewable energy. These initiatives include utility-scale power plants, commercial and industrial (C&I) scenarios, and residential applications.
In Dubai, Huawei recently helped build a 25.8 MW distribution program for the Dubai Global Port Group. In China, the company collaborated with China Resources Power, the China Electric Power Research Institute and the Electric Power Research Institute of the State Grid Qinghai Electric Power Company to test the world’s first grid-forming battery energy storage system (BESS).
Meanwhile, Huawei built the largest single-site C&I PV and ESS power plant in Asia Pacific at Mahidol University in Thailand, including a 12 MW PV system and a 600 kWh ESS.
“Huawei’s intelligent string and grid-forming ESS solution significantly improves a power grid’s ability to integrate renewable energy,” said Xing. “This can help address the challenges posed by integrating high shares of renewable energy into the grid at utility-scale power plants.”
These projects underscore Huawei’s global reach and commitment to promoting renewable energy infrastructure. “We have also combined IoT, big data, AI and other new ICT solutions to improve operations and maintenance by automating the fault diagnosis process for smart power plants,” said Xing.
Pioneer for a low-carbon future
Huawei’s renewable energy business is rapidly becoming a key player in the global transition to a low-carbon future. By integrating bit, watt, thermal and battery (4T) technologies, Huawei is developing new energy infrastructure for power systems, electric vehicles (EVs), and the digital industry.
By the end of 2023, Huawei Digital Power will have helped its customers generate 997.9 billion kilowatt hours of green energy and save 46.1 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, reducing carbon emissions by 495 million tons. This reduction is equivalent to planting 680 million trees.
Earlier this year, Huawei launched the innovative Intelligent Distribution Solution (IDS) at the 26th World Energy Congress in Rotterdam. Developed in collaboration with ecosystem partners, the IDS aims to address the power industry’s most pressing challenges, including high line losses, unreliable services, and the burden of managing new energy loads.
“Huawei Digital Power continues to use digital technology to drive the world’s green and low-carbon development,” said Xing. “In 2023, we made tremendous progress in areas such as smart PV and liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging. Huawei’s Digital Power business generated 52.6 billion yen ($7.42 billion) in 2023, up 3.5 percent year-on-year.”
Huawei’s dominance in the renewable energy space is also underpinned by its position as the world’s leading supplier of photovoltaic (PV) inverters in 2022, with a market share of 29 percent, according to Wood Mackenzie. The company’s shipments increased 83 percent year-on-year in 2022, underscoring its growing influence in the renewable energy market.
As the world increasingly embraces digital energy, Huawei is positioning itself at the forefront of this change. “The goals of nations around the world to achieve carbon neutrality are driving profound change in society and the economy. Achieving these goals requires a robust energy infrastructure that drives decarbonization, electrification, digitalization and intelligence,” Xing concluded.
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