Huawei unveils world’s largest microgrid, featuring 1.3 GWh of battery storage

Huawei Digital Power has built a solar-storage microgrid project in Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea New City. It said that the plant has been operating smoothly for a year, delivering more than 1 TWh of green electricity.

The station includes 400 MW of PV capacity and 1.3 GWh of electrochemical energy storage. Covering 100 km of grid infrastructure, it is the world’s first independent microgrid project to be fully powered by solar and energy storage without connection to any power network.

Huawei Digital Power supports the solar-storage microgrid system with intelligent string inverters and smart string storage units, ensuring continuous power supply even during low sunlight. The system is complemented by electrochemical storage systems from Huawei, meeting the city’s energy needs at night or on cloudy days.

Huawei’s intelligent solar-storage solution uses grid-forming technology to operate as a reliable voltage source, maintaining grid stability in off-grid modes. The smart microgrid supports voltage total harmonic distortion (THDu) of less than 1.5% in off-grid mode and current total harmonic distortion (THDi) of less than 1% in grid-connected mode under rated conditions.

Huawei’s technology aids in grid restoration by stabilizing voltage, frequency, and power angle, significantly reducing recovery times. The smart string storage system enhances capacity and safety through battery pack-level optimization, cluster management, and quadruple safety protections.

Huawei’s solution addresses inefficiencies and insecurity in traditional microgrid black-start procedures. Its advanced grid-forming storage algorithms integrate 100% of storage-rated capacity transformers without oversizing the power conversion system (PCS), ensuring stable power supply across the grid.

The smart string storage equipment meets IP55 protection and C5 anti-corrosion standards, making it suitable for extreme environments with high temperatures, humidity, salt fog, and sand.

Red Sea New City, Tabuk province, is a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan. Spanning 28,000 square km, the city aims to become the world’s first urban area powered 100% by renewable energy, attracting 1 million visitors per year and featuring hotels, resorts, desalination plants, wastewater treatment facilities, and cooling infrastructure.