The Red Sea Project in Saudi Arabia is revolutionizing the sustainable energy sector with the construction of an unprecedented photovoltaic storage microgrid. Featuring a 400 MW solar system and a 1.3 GWh storage system, it promises to redefine environmentally responsible hospitality while operating in a vast and innovative territory.
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Project is making headlines with the construction of the world’s largest photovoltaic energy storage microgrid. Featuring a 400 MW solar PV system combined with a 1.3 GWh energy storage system, this ambitious initiative could be a game changer for sustainable energy solutions in the hospitality sector.
Global technology giant Huawei is leading the groundbreaking venture. The Red Sea project, led by Red Sea Global, aims to provide power to a major resort destination along the southwest coast of Tabuk province.
This project spans a vast area of 28,000 square kilometers and is set to redefine the future of clean energy and sustainable tourism.
During an exchange with Gulf BusinessAlex Xing, President of Huawei Digital Power for the Middle East and Central Asia, highlighted the importance of this initiative, saying: “The destination is set to be the first place in the world powered entirely by clean energy, and Huawei is honored to be part of 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 is set to transform the region into a beacon of sustainable tourism. With targets for completion by 2030, the project envisions the creation of Red Sea City, comprising 50 hotels with 8,000 rooms and over 1,000 residential properties spread across 22 islands and six inland locations. The city is expected to welcome up to one million visitors a year, all of whom will benefit from clean, off-grid energy.
At the heart of this vision is Huawei’s FusionSolar Smart String energy storage solution. This system will enable the Red Sea Project to meet its energy needs autonomously. The microgrid solution takes into account the intermittent and variable nature of solar and wind energy, ensuring safe and stable operation of renewable energy systems.
“Microgrids are not new to 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,” Xing said.
“As a pioneer in digital technologies, Huawei is among the few solution providers offering cutting-edge power electronics technologies, creating and stabilizing networks through virtual synchronization machines. This solid expertise and deep experience have enabled Huawei to meet the challenge of such an ambitious project.”
Huawei’s involvement in the Red Sea project underscores its commitment to sustainability, technological expertise and collaborative work. “This project provides an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate this commitment and showcase our industry-leading innovation and technology,” Xing said.
“It’s a model for sustainable cities. Through our collaboration with Red Sea Global, Huawei is leading the charge toward a greener future, one microgrid at a time.”
An expanding global impact
Beyond the Red Sea project, Huawei is involved in several major solar energy developments around the world, strengthening its leadership position in the renewable energy sector. These initiatives include large-scale power plants, commercial and industrial (C&I) scenarios, and residential applications.
In Dubai, Huawei recently helped establish a 25.8 MW distributed program for the Dubai Global Port Group. In China, the company collaborated with China Resources Power, the China Electricity Research Institute, and the Electricity Research Institute of the State Grid Qinghai Electric Power Company to pilot the world’s first grid-forming battery energy storage system (BESS).
Meanwhile, in Thailand, Huawei built the largest single-site photovoltaic and energy storage (PV and ESS) power plant in the Asia-Pacific region at Mahidol University, with a 12 MW PV system and 600 kWh ESS.
“Huawei’s smart string and grid-forming energy storage solution greatly improves the ability of a power grid to integrate renewable energy,” Xing said. “This can help address the challenges of a high share of grid-integrated renewable energy in large-scale power plants.”
These projects underscore Huawei’s global reach and dedication to advancing renewable energy infrastructure. “We have also combined IoT, big data, AI and other new ICT solutions to optimize operations and maintenance by automating the fault diagnosis process for smart power plants,” Xing said.
At the forefront of a low-carbon future
Huawei’s renewable energy business is rapidly emerging as a key player in the global transition to a low-carbon future. By integrating bit, watt, heat, 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 had helped customers generate 997.9 billion kWh of green energy and save 46.1 billion kWh of electricity, reducing CO2 emissions by 495 million tons. This reduction is equivalent to planting 680 million trees.
Earlier this year, Huawei showcased its 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, such as high line losses, service reliability, and the burden of managing new energy demands.
“Huawei Digital Power continues to use digital technology to help power the world’s green and low-carbon development,” Xing said. “In 2023, we have made tremendous progress in areas such as smart PV and liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging. Huawei’s digital power business generated ¥52.6 billion ($7.42 billion), up 3.5% year-on-year.”
Huawei’s dominance in the renewable energy sector is also underscored by its status as the world’s largest supplier of photovoltaic (PV) inverters in 2022, with a market share of 29%, according to Wood Mackenzie. The company’s shipments increased by 83% in 2022 compared to the previous year, affirming its growing influence in the renewable energy market.
As the world increasingly shifts to digital energy, Huawei is emerging as a leading player in this transformation. “The world’s nations’ goals to achieve carbon neutrality are driving a profound transformation of society and economy. To achieve these goals, a robust energy infrastructure is needed to power decarbonization, electrification, digitalization, and intelligence,” Xing concluded.
