The 2023 edition of the FusionSolar global energy storage summit has taken place in Singapore, with the theme of “Making the Most of Every Ray.” Over 400 PV industry leaders, technical experts, associations and ecosystem partners attended the event to exchange ideas on best practices and development strategies for large-scale PV and energy storage projects.
PV+ESS enables green PV to become main energy source
Charles Yang, Huawei senior vice president and president of global marketing, sales and services at Huawei Digital Power, addressed the attendees, stating that carbon neutrality drives the PV and energy storage industries to embrace great development opportunities. As technologies continue to advance, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for PV systems will continue to decrease. The commercial value of PV power generation far surpasses that of fossil fuels, but a high renewable penetration will impact the stability of power grids. Amid these opportunities and challenges, Huawei Digital Power continues to innovate and promote the convergence of bits and watts, as well as the convergence of PV and energy storage systems (ESS), building Smart PV and ESS generators that utilize grid forming technology for stable renewable energy integration. Huawei Digital Power works closely with its customers and partners to accelerate the construction of new power systems and the achievement of carbon neutrality goals.
Edwin Khew, chairman of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS), remarked that PV is Singapore’s most promising renewable energy source. Singapore is working toward achieving a new solar target of at least 2 gigawatt-peak (GWp) by 2030 and he also detailed its renewable electricity import project, which aims to enhance energy security and sustainable development through a series of initiatives.
Robert Liew, director of APAC power and renewables research at Wood Mackenzie, pointed out that market evolutions and technology revolutions have disrupted legacy business models, creating a new energy landscape. The unidirectional flow of supply-demand has been replaced with a bidirectional flexible energy network in each phase of power generation, transmission, distribution, storage and consumption, reshaping the planning and operation of the electric power market. By 2032, the global annual capacity of newly installed PV is projected to increase five-fold to reach 100 GW, and the global annual capacity of newly installed energy storage will increase eight-fold, surpassing 300 GWh. This will mark the beginning of a golden era of development.
Ussama Rai, director of PV and BESS solutions at Huawei Digital Power, commented that Huawei’s innovative Smart String ESS architecture is a comprehensive system that integrates electrochemistry, heat dissipation, power electronics, digital technologies and safety designs. Its unique pack-level optimization and rack-level management use power electronics technologies to resolve the inconsistency and uncertainty of lithium batteries. Four-level active safety protection and two-level passive isolation enable refined management to achieve higher available capacity and meet higher safety standards. Huawei FusionSolar Smart PV+ESS solutions provide intelligent and collaborative control of PV and ESS to ensure stable off-grid operation with a high PV-to-storage ratio of 2:1, which helps reduce the system LCOE by 30%. The solutions have been highly recognized by customers in many landmark projects, including Southeast Asia’s largest energy storage project in Singapore, as well as the 1.3 GWh Red Sea project in Saudi Arabia, the world’s first 100% renewable and largest off-grid energy storage project.
Matthias Rabe, general manager for electrical, solar and commercial products in the Asia-Pacific region for the TÜV Rheinland group, shared the importance of solar and ESS systems, releasing the All-scenario PV Safety White Paper jointly with Huawei and certifying that FusionSolar solutions fully meet safety standards, as well as setting industry safety standards for PV and energy storage applications.
Allen Zeng, VP of global marketing, sales and services at Huawei Digital Power, noted that the global energy storage market is booming, with the Asia-Pacific region expected to lead with a market scale of 68% in 2026. He emphasized the need to choose a future-oriented advanced energy storage service system. The new ESS features long-term stability, system safety, proactive prevention and flexible optimization. Drawing on 30 years of successful global service experience, Huawei Digital Power can effectively support the long-term operation of energy storage plants and become the preferred partner for global customers.
Tian Zheng, senior business manager for APAC at the China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation (SINOSURE), pointed out that “SINOSURE attaches great importance to the global trend of energy transition, and expects deeper involvement in green finance. In 2022, SINOSURE provided insurance for 96 renewable energy projects in Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand, facilitating green transformation in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Dr. George Garabandic, principal consultant and energy storage lead for APAC at DNV, delivered a keynote speech on grid-forming energy storage, commenting: “Grid forming smart PV plus storage technologies will safeguard the stable operation of new power systems. I’m delighted to see that the FusionSolar Smart PV+ESS solution has been successfully deployed in Southeast Asia’s largest energy storage project. This is a benchmark project for global energy storage and is of great significance for the application of green energy in the Asia Pacific region.”
To meet carbon neutrality goals, the industry increasingly focuses on the planning and trends in large-scale ESS. At a panel discussion during the summit, James Lee of Huawei Digital Power, Kollsman Chan of Munich RE, Thomas Lim of Pacific Light Energy, Alfredo Jakub of RINA Tech and Jasper Wong of the United Overseas Bank discussed the safety, grid-connection, O&M and power generation efficiency issues faced by large-scale energy storage plants and explored possible solutions. They also debated how the global PV industry can use technological innovation to build green and safe electric power to achieve green and sustainable development.
