Huawei's new inverters provide stability, reliability as SA undergoes a renewable energy revolution

The newly launched SUN2000-150K and SUN5000-150K inverters are high-power C&I inverters, boasting features that will provide developers and business owners with the ability to increase their maximum self-consumption. The new range of inverters are packed with newly developed and improved safety features coinciding with higher efficiency. This will result in reduced cost and lower the overall balance of the system.

Xia Hesheng, President of Huawei Digital Power Sub-Saharan Africa Region

Xia Hesheng, president of Huawei Digital Power sub-Saharan Africa Region, delivered the welcoming address which expanded on Huawei’s mission of building a high-quality solar industry in South Africa.

His speech gave an overview of the global renewable energy landscape. For South Africa’s energy market, Hesheng said that “even though loadshedding has abated, C&I customers are looking for cost effective solutions for uninterrupted power systems.”

He explained that PV and ESS demand on the continent is growing quickly, thanks to the prices of commodities in the PV value chain decreasing. He stressed that business owners should be aware that “the return-on-investment time for a PV and ESS system has reduced from eight years to a four- to five-year time frame.”

Herman Fourie, Senior Solutions Architect of Huawei Digital Power Sub-Saharan Africa

Herman Fourie, senior solutions architect of Huawei Digital Power sub-Saharan Africa, walked the attendees through the technical specifications of these “punch above the rest commercial and industrial inverters.”

SUN2000-150K and SUN5000-150K inverters are highly efficient and reliable solar inverters that are designed for commercial and industrial applications to maximise power generation and ensure stability and performance.

The inverters reach a peak efficiency rate of 98.8% to minimise energy loss during DC to AC power conversion for grid injection.

Features that promote scalable, smart energy use

String-level Maximum Power Tracking (MPPT) is an integrated feature that enables each solar string to operate at its optimal power point. Fourie said, “the average dynamic MPPT efficiency of inverters is 99.866%, while that of traditional inverters is only 99.84%.” Thanks to MPPT, the inverters can extract the maximum amount of power from the PV array, for multiple peaks despite unfavourable conditions like shading.

The FusionSolar platform allows businesses to monitor the inverter, review its performance data and diagnose any issues remotely, ensuring that PV systems work efficiently.

This level of advanced monitoring and control capabilities are only a few of the already attractive solutions that are offered by the new range of inverters. Added safety and real-time fault detection, performance tracking and system management are now possible due to Huawei’s FusionSolar Smart PV management system.

In the field, solar arrays can be configured in a variety of ways, meaning power producers need solutions that can accommodate large-scale operations in different environments. SUN2000-150K & SUN5000-150K support multiple MPPT inputs that keep design options flexible and guarantee optimal utilisation of available PV resources, increasing yield by 1.5%.

The inverters can handle a wide range of input voltages and currents from different strings of solar panels, making them part of a highly adaptable system that maximises energy production.

Robust design that saves on energy costs

Last year Huawei invested $23bn into research and development (R&D) and it has 114,000 employees working in R&D. “This ensures that we created leading technologies, and that we are always innovating,” said President Xia.

He emphasised that customers are at the centre of their product design process and that alleviating the maintenance cost of the systems is top of mind for Huawei.

The SUN2000-150K and SUN5000-150K adopt the industry-unique innovative design and intelligent air-cooling solution. The fan and software are upgraded. To prevent the fan from being faulty due to dust accumulation, the software controls the fan to rotate reversely when the SUN2000-150K runs at low power. The fan also blows out foreign objects without manual operation and maintenance (O&M).

Long-term reliability is enhanced thanks to design features that make these inverters durable in harsh environments. The inverters work in a wide range of temperatures, and they are equipped with robust features that protect against overvoltage, overcurrent, short circuits and other electrical faults.

A new era of active safety

Features for active safety are at the core of the SUN2000 and SUN5000 series inverters. Three unique features namely, DC-to-ground protection, module level insulation detection and smart connector level detection ensure long-term sustainability of these inverters.

Huawei offers smart string-level disconnection (SSLD), an industry-first solution that uses smart detection mechanisms with a fault detection algorithm.

Should any faults like DC input back feed or any component experience a short circuit, the direct current can be shut off in milliseconds.

The inverters are also equipped to intelligently detect ground faults and isolate them within 15 milliseconds during grid connection. This reduces the chances of inverter failure by over 75%.

Thanks to smart connector-level detection (SCLD) the temperatures of the AC and DC terminals are constantly monitored, and the inverter can shut down within 0.5 seconds should signs of overheating be detected.

SUN2000-150K and SUN5000-150K are also fitted with the strongest arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) in the industry, powered by intelligent hardware. Fourie explained that C&I sites are dispersed over large areas and the high output inverters that drive these large systems “need to immediately detect faults over larger distances.”

This is why Huawei increased the detection range of its AFCI up to 450 m. It detects faults with currents up to 48 A - once this kind of fault is detected, the current can be shut down in 0.5 seconds to keep energy assets safe.

Industry-friendly grid support functions

“As we are moving into high-power inverters, we now provide grid-friendly solutions for customers,” said Fourie.

He acknowledged that compliance with local grid codes and regulation is of utmost importance in the South African market. To maintain compatibility with local grids the SUN2000-150K and SUN5000-150K inverters feature power factor control, reactive power compensation, and voltage control capabilities that allow for smooth integration into existing electricity networks.

Zhao Tianqi (Tom), Vice President of Huawei Digital Power South Africa

Huawei maintains a long-term relationship and makes partners a priority

Zhao Tianqi (Tom), vice president of Huawei Digital Power South Africa delivered a concluding presentation to partners that explained how Huawei offers ongoing support and training on its new product offering.

“Because it is a new product on the market, Huawei takes the responsibility of training partners on how to get the best out of its products,” said Tom. Huawei’s C&I enablement project has held more than 80 training sessions involving more than 800 trainees and certified 120 channel partners in 2024 H1 alone – a display of Huawei’s commitment to long-term relationships with partners and customers.

“As the first shipment of this product has already sold out, we are eager because we have also developed in-house courses for presales, sales and after sales services for our partners,” said Tom.

Huawei’s next-generation products offer advanced technical specifications, elegant and functional design and smart features that give it a competitive edge. These inverters are set to lead the market in a highly contested space.