What are the current challenges facing utility-scale solar PV projects?
Zhang: One of the major challenges is the return-on-investment, which needs to consider over the 20-year lifecycle, not only the initial CAPEX. The second challenge is how to ensure stable grid operation, given the massive amount of renewable energy that is now being connected to the grid.
Third is as the increased scale of power plants, since the conventional manual O&M can’t deal with the challenge and must turn to digital solutions to improve efficiency. The fourth challenge is ensuring long-term reliability and safety, which is always the foundation.
How have recent technological advances in Huawei’s FusionSolar9.0 solution improved the LCOE for utility-scale solar?
Zhang: LCOE considers factors like investment, yield, and O&M costs, etcetera. Firstly, Huawei leverages the innovation in electronics to minimize the Balance-of-System (BOS) of solar projects. Through breakthroughs in the new IGBT, the new thermal design, and the new generation of 506kW smart string inverter, the flagship product of FusionSolar9.0 solution realized a 40%+ increase in power density compared with the last generation, and pioneering the 1000 Vac application in solar PV system. The FusionSolar9.0 solution can decrease BOS by 0.3- 0.6 US cents per watt in an 11 MW array design, by contrast to the conventional solution of a 9 MW+ array with 300+ kW inverters.
FusionSolar9.0 also boosts energy yield with the 506kW inverter’s longer PV string design and a wider working range for MPPT voltage. This means it allows the system to start earlier and shut down later – another contributor to increased power yield. In projects in China, the 506kW inverter delivers ~1% higher yield versus conventional solution.
Moreover, the 506kW inverter has equipped the fans with innovative self-cleaning and anti-icing technologies to adapt to diverse environments and weather conditions, which can reduce manual O&M and prevent energy losses. All the features above can bring considerable economic benefits.
What advances has Huawei made to enable high power and voltage while maintaining high reliability?
Zhang: To achieve higher power and voltage while maintaining high reliability, it depends on Huawei’s sustained investment in and breakthroughs in fundamental technologies, mainly in three perspectives.
First, the new-generation IGBT module boosts voltage withstand capacity by 25%, reduces power loss by 10%, and increases maximum junction temperature by 20%. Second, the innovative Smart Hybrid Cooling System enhances heat dissipation capability by 30% without compromising the overall size and dimensions. Third, it is because the new production line has all the key processes 100% automated and empowered by AI inspection in all manufacturing procedures, which guarantees the strong production capacity with excellent quality.
Can you introduce the grid forming capabilities of Huawei’s FusionSolar 9.0 solution?
Zhang: I can summarize these into five capabilities. Firstly, the Smart Internal Potential Construction Algorithm can cope with transient voltage instability by generating reactive power within 10 ms, while it takes around 30 ms for the conventional grid-following inverters.
Secondly, the 0-20 s Smart Virtual Inertia can support frequency stability. Thirdly, it can enhance short-circuit-ratio (SCR) of the PV plant, which brings in stronger renewable energy transmission capability, as the two factors have a positive correlation. Fourthly, the grid-forming inverter can realize auto-recovery of reactive power at nighttime after the power failure is recovered, which can avoid fines in some countries. Lastly, it can provide off-grid power supply during the commissioning phase of a solar farm and use self-generated PV power for equipment commissioning and testing due to its voltage-source characteristic, which is more cost-saving, environment friendly, and socially beneficial, and enables faster grid-connection compared with a diesel generator solution.
The questions and responses in this sponsored interview article were provided by Huawei Digital Power.
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