GITEX Global: How Huawei Targets Power Grid Digitalisation
Power utilities worldwide face mounting pressure to modernise their distribution networks as the growth of renewable energy transforms traditional grid operations. The challenge lies in managing increasingly complex power flows as consumers become energy producers, installing solar panels and connecting electric vehicles to local networks.
Speaking at GITEX Global 2024 in Dubai, technology group Huawei outlined how its Intelligent Distribution Solution (IDS) is helping utilities address these challenges by combining cloud computing, artificial intelligence and automation.
Jason Li, President of Global Marketing & Solutions in Huawei's Electric Power Digitalisation Business Unit, told us that the rapid growth of renewable energy is fundamentally changing how distribution networks operate.
“Carbon neutrality is bringing rapid growth in green energy. The power system has shifted from load-based power generation to a more complex interaction between source, grid, load and storage,” he says.
Renewable growth drives change
In China, distributed solar photovoltaic capacity – small-scale solar installations connected to local power networks – will increase from 158 gigawatts to 500 gigawatts between 2022 and 2025, according to Huawei’s projections. The number of electric vehicles will rise from 30 million to 45 million in the same period.
“These were our projections from last year, but the actual growth is far exceeding our estimates. As of July this year, the penetration rate of electric vehicles in the Chinese market exceeded 50%,” says Li.
These changes are forcing utilities to adapt their distribution networks – the lower voltage power lines that connect homes and businesses to the grid. Distribution networks were designed for one-way power flows from large power plants to consumers. Now they must handle power flowing in multiple directions as consumers install their own generation.
“Today, massive amounts of new energy sources are being connected from the distribution side, and more consumers are becoming prosumers. Energy flow is changing from one-way distribution to bilateral interaction,” says Li.
Technology integration
Huawei's IDS system uses a combination of cloud computing and edge devices - computing equipment located close to where data is generated – to process information from across the power network. The system includes high-speed power line communication technology (HPLC) that transmits data over existing power cables.
“Traditional electric meter and automation vendors offer solutions that rely on isolated systems, preventing data sharing. Huawei’s IDS solution is based on cloud-pipe-edge-device architecture, converging automation, digitalisation and AI technologies,” says Li.
State Grid Corporation of China, which operates most of China's electricity transmission and distribution network, has implemented the system in Shanxi province. The utility has connected more than 40,000 residential solar installations and 1,410 industrial solar sites to the system.
- 156,000 transformer districts
- 350,000+ charging poles
- 18.4 million meters
- 40,000+ residential solar installations
- 1,410 industrial solar sites
“By deploying IDS solutions, they’ve achieved what we call ‘1-3-15’: one minute for mid-voltage power outage alarms, three minutes for low-voltage fault allocation, and 15 minutes for line loss calculation of the district,” says Li.
The system aims to help utilities reduce line losses - power lost during transmission and distribution – while improving supply reliability and maintenance efficiency. Li says different regions have different priorities.
“Line loss reduction is the biggest challenge in Africa, while Saudi electricity companies are more concerned about power supply reliability. In China, the biggest concern is managing the massive influx of new energy sources and loads,” says Li.
The system is now being trialled by utilities in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hungary, with the first commercial deployment planned in Botswana. Li says European power companies have shown interest after visiting the Shanxi installation.
“When EDF, a leading French electric power company, visited our Shanxi showcase, they were very impressed. They noted that while they've tested various technologies over the past decade without deployment, Shanxi has already achieved massive deployment with real results,” says Li.
The business case for digitalising distribution networks includes both operational savings and improved renewable integration capability, according to Li. "In one country, for example, the lifecycle of the Huawei IDS solution is 10 years, with total capital and operational expenditure of about 2.5 billion. Line loss reduction benefits alone amount to about 5-6 billion, assuming a 3% improvement rate."
Speaking about the response since launching IDS at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year, Li says: “Previously, you'd have siloed systems - one problem, one siloed system. Now we have a unified platform where you can run different types of apps, some of which can be developed by customers themselves.”
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