In an exclusive interview with Smart Energy International, Anthony Hu President of Strategy & Marketing, Electric Power Digitalisation Business Unit at Huawei Enterprise Business Group, explains what the business unit is doing to accelerate the digital transformation. With advanced, intelligent solutions, coupled with strong partnerships – local and global – Huawei will play an active role in sector transformation and growth, to pave a digital road for global energy transition and carbon neutrality goals.
It has been almost a year since Huawei Electric Power Digitalisation Business Unit was established in March 2022. Please share what the business unit has achieved thus far.
Huawei officially set up the Electric Power Digitalisation Business Unit on March 30, 2022. The concept stems from Google’s organisational form, a group of PhDs, scientists, engineers, and marketing experts.
The establishment of the Business Unit has enabled Huawei to shorten processes and integrate resources successfully. Vertically, the R&D team can better understand customer requirements and continuously improve technologies. Horizontally, Huawei’s ecosystem partners can work together to deliver customised, scenario-based solutions for customers.
We have summarised the global development trends as T3 transformation framework and have been working around the strategic model of this framework:
Energy transition
The new power system is faced with five challenges, namely:
- the green energy structure
- flexible power grid regulation
- interactive power consumption mode
- energy-storage collaborative interaction with extensive distribution on the power generation-grid-load sides, and
- complex electricity-carbon trading system
Therefore, the Digitalisation Business Unit launched the intelligent power plant solution on the source side. On the network side, we developed a range of solutions focused on intelligent transmission line inspection, intelligent substations, digital converter stations, power distribution IoT, and power distribution communication networks. On the load side, we have a zero-carbon campus and integrated energy solutions.
Currently, the Business Unit is focused on the future development of the power industry and fully leveraging Huawei’s advantages in platforms, technologies, and products to build end-to-end solution capabilities to help power customers go digital.
Digital transformation
Our goal is to gradually digitalise business scenarios through the Spark Architecture, top-level design, methodology construction of good business models, and business scenario breakthroughs.
Huawei’s power communication network builds a solid communication base for the new power system of the China Southern Power Grid.
Regarding power transmission and transformation, Huawei’s transmission line inspection solution helps achieve video inspection in remote, unpopulated areas of Deqing in Yunnan Province.
Using Huawei’s digital converter station solution, State Grid can continuously improve the operation efficiency of its UHV converter stations in Shaoxing and Yinan, laying a solid foundation for a prosperous service application ecosystem.
The State Grid Shaanxi and Huawei jointly launched a software cloud orchestration innovation pilot project, achieving service display and provisioning on the equipment diagram and streamlining the ‘last mile’ of power supply services.
In addition, Huawei cooperated with partners to develop an intelligent inspection solution for substations, which has been successfully applied in Saudi Arabia.
In the service field, Huawei continuously cooperated with Indonesian power companies in power bandwidth operations, exploring new models of power asset monetisation.
Huawei’s intelligent net-zero carbon campus solution won the Champion Prize at the WSIS, World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2022.
Zero-carbon transformation
Through digital transformation, we will empower the upgrade of the power industry and finally realise the vision of green and zero-carbon development. Huawei strives to work with partners – In China and globally – to create new value together.
As you mentioned the intelligent net-zero carbon campus solution and the WSIS Prize. Can you introduce the solution and highlight some of the features of its project?
Huawei’s intelligent net-zero carbon campus solution, which is based on Spark Architecture, won the Champion prize at WSIS on June 2022.
Based on this solution, the Yancheng Low-Carbon and Smart-Energy Innovation Park ranked as one of the top 10 global projects of the 2022 Paulson Prize for Sustainability on December 2022.
The project was jointly delivered by State Grid Yancheng, the Jiangsu Power Design Institute of China Energy Engineering Corporation, and Huawei’s Electric Power Digitalisation Business Unit.
By focusing on the three scenarios of smart energy management, carbon management, and campus management, the project integrates digital technologies and energy technologies and implements 100% of smart terminals in the innovation park, increasing clean energy supply to 85%, and reducing carbon emissions in the inner campus by more than 40%. The project is a showcase of an intelligent and low-carbon campus that contributes to a green, low-carbon, safe, and efficient modern energy system, which is a future solution for our clients globally.
Read more: T3 Transformation: A New Chapter for Net-zero Carbon Intelligent Campus
What are the capabilities of the business unit and what will be the core focuses in the new year?
In 2023, we are focusing our strategy on providing the electric power industry with greater value together with our global partners; helping customers achieve safety, reliability, efficiency, and low carbon. By building a partner ecosystem outside of China, we will work together to create new value for the power industry.
Based on the Spark Architecture, we will deeply integrate digital technologies with electric power technologies. Firstly, the power communication network and power ransomware protection solution help ensure the security and reliability of power production and operations for our clients.
Secondly, there is an increased need for more efficient remote inspection technologies, specifically in substations and along transmission lines. Huawei is developing and providing low-cost solutions to connect cameras and AI technologies with our fiber network, which is a solution to regions such as Saudi Arabia where there are fewer people on site.
Huawei’s intelligent net-zero campus solution and integrated energy service solution help customers achieve green and low-carbon development, which we are already seeing through our partnership with the State Grid of China.
Through building an ecosystem around the world, we will strengthen cooperation with local and Chinese partners in joint innovation and project expansion. For example, Huawei and Precise System and Project Co., Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on deepening their strategic cooperation.
In the context of Europe’s 2030 GHG reduction goals, and 2050 net zero target – what is Huawei’s role when it comes to innovation with green and sustainable solutions?
Huawei has always been driven by digitalisation and low carbonisation. Based on the T3 transformation model, Huawei coordinates power customers and global partners to promote the low-carbon, green and sustainable development of the whole society.
In Europe, we follow the EU’s green and digital transformation strategy. Based on the comprehensive development framework of the Green Deal, we carry out in-depth cooperation with the energy and telecom industries in Europe.
In terms of green and sustainable development, Huawei will cooperate with European customers in intelligent inspection, charging pile networks, and green data centers to help them achieve low-carbon and green development goals.
Huawei proactively participates in industry conferences, such as the CIGRE Conference in Paris and the Greece Power Summit. Together, we explore the future development trends of the industry and pursue common goals, contributing to green and low-carbon development.
Huawei’s Electric Power Digitalisation Business Unit will attend the Mobile World Congress (MWC). What are some of the highlights that will be showcased at the show?
At this year’s MWC, we will introduce the Business Unit’s latest strategic plan, capability map, partner strategy for international markets, and showcase four (4) new solutions.
In addition to the exhibition booth, we will set up a joint showcase and workshop with our clients and global partners to explain several scenarios to the electric power industries. Several senior executives of our power customers will showcase their global practices.
Watch the full video interview with Anthony Hu, and Jonathan Spencer Jones, Specialist writer at Smart Energy International, below.
To learn more about Huawei Electric Power visit – e.huawei.com/en/industries/grid
