Saudi Arabia is powering up the future with its Red Sea Project, set to create the world’s largest solar-powered energy storage microgrid.
With a 400MW solar PV system and 1.3GWh of storage, this game-changing initiative, led by Red Sea Global, is set to power a premier hospitality destination along the southwestern coast of Tabuk Province. Spanning a massive area of 28,000 square kilometers, this project is not just about tourism; it’s about redefining how clean energy can be generated on a large scale.
“The destination is poised to be the world’s first fully clean energy-powered destination, and Huawei is honored to participate in this project and help Saudi Arabia build a greener and better future through technological innovation, ” said Xing, President of Huawei Digital Power for the Middle East and Central Asia.
Central to the project’s success is Huawei’s FusionSolar Smart String Energy Storage Solution (ESS), which will enable the Red Sea Project to meet its energy demands independently. This advanced microgrid system is designed to handle the unpredictable nature of solar and wind power, ensuring a stable and reliable renewable energy supply.
“Microgrids are not new to the power industry. However, the Red Sea Microgrid is unique because it uses only renewable sources of energy and it is completely disconnected from any external grid,” Xing highlighted.
The Red Sea Project is poised to transform the region into a beacon of sustainable tourism. By 2030, the vision is to create Red Sea City, a sprawling development featuring 50 hotels, 8,000 rooms, and over 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland locations. The city is expected to attract up to one million visitors annually, all powered by off-grid clean energy.
Huawei’s involvement in the Red Sea Project underscores its commitment to leading the global transition to a low-carbon future.
“The Red Sea Project provides an unparalleled opportunity to demonstrate this commitment and showcase our industry-leading innovation and technology. It’s a blueprint for sustainable cities,” Xing added.
Huawei’s influence extends far beyond the Red Sea Project. The company is actively involved in several major solar power initiatives worldwide, reinforcing its status as a leader in the renewable energy sector. Notable projects include a 25.8MW Distributed Program for Dubai Global Port Group and the world’s first grid-forming battery energy storage system (BESS) in China. In Thailand, Huawei built the largest single-site C&I PV and ESS plant in the Asia-Pacific region at Mahidol University.
“Huawei’s smart string and grid-forming ESS solution significantly improves a power grid’s ability to integrate renewable energy,” Xing explained while emphasizing Huawei’s innovative approach and the company’s role in addressing the challenges posed by high levels of renewable energy integration into utility-scale plants.
Huawei’s renewable energy business is rapidly becoming a key player in the global move towards sustainability. By the end of 2023, Huawei Digital Power had generated 997.9 billion kWh of green power and saved 46.1 billion kWh of electricity, reducing CO2 emissions by 495 million tons—equivalent to planting 680 million trees.
In 2023, Huawei also introduced the Intelligent Distribution Solution (IDS) at the 26th World Energy Congress in Rotterdam, developed in collaboration with ecosystem partners to tackle pressing challenges in the electric power industry.
“Huawei Digital Power continues to use digital technology to help power the world’s green and low-carbon development. In 2023, we made tremendous progress in areas like smart PVs and liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging,” XING stated.
Huawei’s dominance in the renewable energy sector is further evidenced by its position as the leading global solar photovoltaic (PV) inverter vendor in 2022, with a 29 percent market share.
Huawei is putting itself in the driver’s seat just as the world transitions to digital energy, spearheading the social and economic changes required to meet the world’s carbon neutrality goals.
