Digitised renewable energy key to Africa powering developmental goals

Bamba is a 10-hour drive from Zambia’s capital Lusaka. The village is home to a micro-grid photovoltaic (PV) plant which, once on grid, will bring uninterrupted power to Bamba, which has not had any for years. It is one of more than 400 such Huawei plants across Africa, bringing power to remote rural areas.

In Ghana, a 50MW PV power station 490km northwest from the capital Accra feeds directly into the grid, while another 200MW PV power station is being built nearby. 

In SA, the Aquila Private Game Reserve near Cape Town is home to rows of dark blue PV panels. The facility is working silently to power the park and create harmony between humans and nature.

All these projects, which use Huawei digital power technologies, and many more in various stages of progress, illustrate how digitally enabled renewable energy is playing a crucial role in helping Africa achieve its power and development goals.

These solutions will solve the problems of frequent power outages and shortages for rural and urban areas in Africa and create employment opportunities for those on the continent.

Overcoming Africa’s power supply challenges 

We see a pair of contrasting pictures in Africa. On one hand, it has the biggest potential for solar energy in the world, with a long-term output of 4.51 kWh/kWp per day. On the other, Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 77% of the global population without electricity access and that proportion has increased since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Another contrast in Africa is that it has the world’s lowest emissions — accounting for only 2 to 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions, but it is the continent that is most vulnerable to climate change, which includes increased drought and floods, the spread of diseases and loss of biodiversity.

There is no doubt renewables and solar PV will be critical for Africa to achieve a just and equitable energy transition, and meet development goals. However, the core issue is cost.

At the recent Africa Adaptation Summit before November's Conference of the Parties 27 in Egypt, Senegalese president Macky Sall, the 2022 AU chair, said the continent needs a mix of fossil fuel and renewable energy to “reduce the cost of energy” and thereby support its economies. Digital plays a big role in reducing this cost, especially that of renewables.    

Committing to digital power 

Huawei is committed to enabling the just transition by bringing digital expertise to the power sector. It’s why Digital Power was established in 2021, leading to energy digitalisation transformation. 

By integrating digital and power electronic technologies, Huawei Digital Power facilitates more efficient operation so enterprises can provide clean and stable power to society more easily and cheaply to drive energy revolution for a better, greener future.

Huawei Digital Power has more than 6,000 employees. Sixty percent are in research & development (R&D), with 12 research centres worldwide. More than 10% of its revenue has been invested in R&D, with more than 1,600 partners globally. This commitment is making a tangible difference across Sub-Saharan Africa.

In line with Huawei’s mission to bring green power to every person, home and organisation, and light up Africa with digital power, the company has delivered more than 1GW of PV power plants and offered solutions for the utility, commercial and industrial, and residential spaces. 

Huawei will continue to work to ensure it contributes to Africa's energy efforts to meet the energy needs and development goals of the continent. This isn’t just a business, it’s about caring for people, Huawei’s mission in Africa.

This article was paid for by Huawei Solar.