Huawei Inverter Seeks to Boost Solar Uptake in Africa

Chinese technology giant Huawei Digital Power has launched its 150K series inverter to boost the adoption of solar energy in Africa, especially in Kenya.

Unveiled in Nairobi at the Huawei FusionSolar Eastern Africa Partner Summit 2024, the inverter is set to transform the commercial and industrial photovoltaic (PV) landscape.

According to Olivier Du, CEO of Huawei Digital Power Eastern Africa Region, the inverter is designed to boost power generation by reducing system losses and includes real-time fault detection for improved safety.

“The new device enhances safety by providing real-time software and hardware fault detection,” Oliver said during the summit.

The 150K series, which include the SUN2000-150K-MG0 and SUN5000-150K-MG0 models, offer a maximum efficiency of 98.8% and high dynamic MPPT efficiency of 99.839% to maximize energy yield and ensure reliability.

The demand for PV and energy storage solutions in Africa is rising, driven by decreasing PV costs and increasing grid electricity prices, as highlighted by Xia Hesheng, President of Huawei Digital Power Sub-Saharan Africa.

“With the decline of photovoltaic costs and technological innovation, we welcome the arrival of ‘photovoltaic storage parity’,” Xia said.

The 150K series inverters feature a host of advanced technologies such as built-in PID recovery and module-level insulation detection, which lower maintenance time and costs, making them highly cost-effective.

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The inverters come with Meter-Bus Power Line Communication, which allows data transmission over existing power lines, saving cable costs and increasing the efficiency of installation.

Olivier highlighted the company’s commitment to support and training for its new product.

“Huawei takes the responsibility of training partners on how to get the best out of its products,” he said.

This includes over 30 trainings for more than 600 trainees in the first half of 2024. Huawei has also developed in-house courses related to presales, sales, and after-sales services to help its partners.

The company has also introduced the smart guard as an accessory to residential solar solutions, and now the 3-phase smart guard can manage up to three residential inverters.

The new three-phase smart guard also works perfectly off-grid.

Huawei’s strong focus on innovation can help its inverter brands compete in the solar market, and this can offset operational and environmental challenges when their contribution is realised toward sustainable development in Africa.

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