ACWA Power, a leading developer, owner and operator of power generation and water desalination plants, will use Huawei as the sole inverter supplier to integrate the FusionSolar 1500V Smart PV Solution – including the SUN2000-90KTL string inverter and FusionSolar Smart PV Management System – in Saudi Arabia’s first large-scale ground-mounted PV plant.
ACWA won the bid in February 2018 for the Sakaka 300 MW project at Al Jouf, in northern Saudi Arabia at SAR0.08872/kWh ($0.024) – the lowest price ever recorded for solar power. Launched as part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 strategy, the project marks the beginning of the country’s transformation from fossil fuels to clean energy. The plant is expected to be completed in October.
The Sakaka project is on flat terrain where sunshine, low vegetation coverage, and heavy dust make high demands on the protection levels, stability and energy yield of the plant.
The Huawei FusionSolar 1500V Smart PV Solution with multi-MPPT string inverters minimizes PV string mismatch and increases energy yield by 1.5-2%. IP65 protection limits the damage from wind and sand erosion. Power loss is greatly reduced by an increase in system voltage and decrease in current. Consequently, the workload involved in transportation, installation and maintenance is lessened, reducing human resource and system investment costs. The Huawei FusionSolar Smart PV Solution offers a higher energy yield from the same CAPEX, efficient operations and maintenance and lower OPEX, leading to a lower levelized cost of electricity and making the solution the most competitive.
Mohammad Abunayyan, Chairman of ACWA Power, said: “We are immensely proud to take part in the first clean energy project in Saudi Arabia, that contributes to the sustainable transition of the kingdom. We look forward to working with Huawei to utilize our collective expertise, gained from renewable projects across the globe, to develop and advance the capabilities of the renewable energy sector in the kingdom. In line with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 and the directions of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, we are encouraging active participation of the sector and creating employment opportunities to Saudi nationals while cultivating a knowledge base for the future of renewables within the country.”
It is estimated the Sakaka project will generate enough clean energy to power 45,000 households in the Al Jouf region. The project will create new employment opportunities in sectors including construction and operations.
