By Staff Reporter
JOHANNESBURG, May 9 — Huawei held the FusionSolar Forum 2023 at the Africa Solar Show 2023 in Johannesburg, where industry leaders and experts gathered to share insights on industry trends and present innovative solutions and best practices for the development of the industry on the continent. The forum was attended by industry associations, sector organizations, and experts.
Leo Chen, President of Huawei Sub Saharan Africa, highlighted the urgent need for Africa’s transition to a new international energy industry due to power shortages and rising energy prices. He added that Huawei, as a leading ICT company, can be part of the solution with its comprehensive set of technologies in ICT.
Chen mentioned Huawei’s ‘4T’ technologies – WatT, HeaT, BatTery, and BiT – which integrate power electronic and digital technologies to enable the traditional solar energy industry to be more efficient and intelligent. He said the application of these technologies would accelerate Africa’s energy transition toward the direction of ‘4D,’ which is Decarbonisation, Digitalisation, Decentralisation, and Democratisation.
Huawei’s full-scenario smart PV solutions can provide solutions to various sectors such as utility-scale large plants, energy storage facilities, commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftops, residential rooftops, data centres, and smart microgrids in rural areas. By doing this, more flexible energy generation solutions that are close to the point of use can be applied and the transmission and distribution setup can be minimized, saving costs and losses.
South Africa’s Electricity Minister Dr. Kgosientso Ramakgopa commended Huawei for the role it is playing in infrastructure development in Africa and for greening South Africa’s energy systems. He indicated that his role as the electricity minister involves working with the private sector, including Huawei, to address the power deficit issue and boost a digital and sustainable future for South Africa.
Chen Guoguang, President of Huawei Smart PV Product Line, said that by the end of 2022, Huawei Digital Power had helped its customers offset 340 million tons of CO2 emissions, equivalent to planting 470 million trees. John van Zuylen, CEO of AFSIA, predicted that Africa will soon outstrip other regions in its use of solar power supply, with almost every country now having some solar capacity.
Huawei is well positioned to play a growing role on the continent, as the company currently powers 25% of the world’s PV capacity. CEO of the SAPVIA, Dr Rethabile Melamu, stressed the need to skill young South Africans to participate and take full advantage of the opportunities in this industry. Huawei’s skills development initiative aims to get more young people skilled and accredited for the sector.
Industry players, such as Bui Power Plant in Ghana, shared the latest insights into PV and energy storage trends in their organizations and how Huawei technologies are contributing to their success.
In conclusion, Leo Chen expressed Huawei’s commitment to Africa, stating that the company aims to bring ubiquitous green power to the continent in the next two decades, working with various partners. – Namibia Daily News
