Containerised ESS promises a quick fix for businesses needing backup power

Amid SA’s energy crisis, the need for alternative power solutions has never been greater. An upcoming pilot project spearheaded by ABC Solar — a trusted provider of solar solutions and leading local distribution partner of Huawei FusionSolar products — will showcase how an innovative all-in-one energy storage system (ESS) akin to a shipping container can be a safe and reliable source of backup electricity for businesses and more.

ABC Solar is collaborating with Terra Firma Solutions, a turnkey energy engineering solutions provider, to set up a megawatt-hour Huawei FusionSolar LUNA2000 Smart String ESS for a commercial private sector client. The project will be unveiled this month.

The Huawei FusionSolar LUNA2000 Smart String ESS is essentially a containerised backup power solution that pulls electricity from the national grid, when available, and stores it safely for use during power outages. This means that all components, from the batteries and power conditioning system to the cables and air conditioning system, are ready to go, and customers need only to find the space to place the container housing them. This pre-assembly saves significant construction costs and time. 

Siqi Lu, vice-president of ABC Solar, says there’s a wide range of possible applications for this product in SA, such as in petrol stations, banks, office parks, wineries, hospitals and schools. 

She gives the example of a housing estate, where one or two Huawei FusionSolar LUNA2000 Smart String ESSs could cater for the needs of the whole community instead of those in individual houses or apartments needing to research and invest in component-based ESS solutions or the like. 

Lu mentions mining as a key sector that could benefit from this cutting-edge technology. “We have a lot of mining houses purely depending on burning diesel to power generators, which is bad for the environment and also costs a lot of money.”

As one of the larger and most well-established industries in the country, manufacturing is another sector that would likely be interested in the many advantages the Huawei FusionSolar LUNA2000 Smart String ESS offers.

“The downtime of load-shedding has created a lot of loss for the owners of such businesses,” says Lu. “By having a containerised power solution on site at the manufacturing space, those businesses wouldn’t have to sacrifice those two or four hours of downtime; they could operate as ‘normal’ instead of cutting their productivity.”

A Huawei FusionSolar LUNA2000 Smart String ESS not only allows businesses to carry on as normal during load-shedding or unplanned electricity outages, it also allows for steady power supply in critical situations.

Lu says this product is a step above the rest because its power supply is highly reliable, and the operation and maintenance are simplified. “The safety features it includes are undeniably noteworthy and contribute significantly to its appeal,” she adds, addressing the ongoing concerns about the flammability of battery-based power solutions.

The Huawei FusionSolar LUNA2000 Smart String ESS is designed to maximise the utilisation of stored energy with the innovative optimisation of individual battery packs and fault detection processes. Each battery pack has 13 temperature sensors and 16 voltage sensors to monitor performance and fire risks in real time.

Beyond this, Huawei, being a well-known name, is another drawcard for those desperately seeking a solution that’ll provide peace of mind when it comes to a reliable electricity supply.

Huawei operates in over 170 countries and regions, with over 207,000 employees globally — it's been reported that more than half these are in the research & development (R&D) sector. In fact, it is the fourth largest R&D investor worldwide, according to the 2022 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard.

At the same time, ABC Solar has been doing business in the renewable energy sector for over decades. 

While there is a lot of growth in the solar industry and other containerised solutions are already on the market in SA, Lu says that trustworthiness and transparency are key components that are often lacking. 

“Our mission is to create an affordable, sustainable, renewable energy sector; this requires all the stakeholders in the industry to play together,” she explains. “A lot of people will find this industry is unregulated and overcosting, because not everyone understands [processes] from A to Z, or how to pull one solid solution together.” 

With its planned pilot project in collaboration with Terra Firma Solutions, ABC Solar is hoping to show leading industry players and possible clients that the Huawei FusionSolar LUNA2000 Smart String ESS is the best alternative power solution. “Instead of waiting for someone else to give you a solution, you can start the conversation by saying ‘can we use Huawei FusionSolar containerised solutions for my factory or estate?’,” says Lu.

Though this particular containerised solution is new to the country, Huawei has already managed to establish it well in other regions such aslike the Far East, Middle East, and Europe. 

For instance, the company's FusionSolar products are being used in the construction of the world's first gigawatt-level, grid-forming photovoltaic (PV) + ESS power plant — with 400MW of PV and a 1.3GWh battery ESS — as part of the Red Sea Project in Saudi Arabia. Completely off the national grid and powered by renewable energy safely, despite high temperatures, humidity and presence of salt spray, it will power Neom, a futuristic city on the country's north-west coast.

Lu says this proves Huawei can pull off creating something from nothing. “So, it comes late to our own land, the Huawei FusionSolar LUNA2000 Smart String ESS is sure to become a hot topic; it's going to change the way we see renewable energy and it will open new chapters.”

“I think it's time for ABC Solar to stand up as an industry player,” Lu says. “Going forward, our mission is to be involved in the conversation that [securing a reliable energy supply] should be an affordable process, which is transparent, and safety should be prioritised.”

Interested industry players or individuals are encouraged to connect with ABC Solar via its website and social media platforms, including LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. Keep an eye out for possible free workshops introducing Huawei FusionSolar LUNA2000 Smart String ESS in more detail. 

This article was sponsored by ABC Solar.