Mustek-owned ICT distributor Rectron has taken delivery of a 1MW/MWh battery from Huawei to provide backup power to its head offices in Midrand.
The company said it was the first in Africa to acquire the Huawei FusionSolar LUNA2000-1.0MWH1H1 MW Smart String battery energy storage system (BESS).
The BESS is a combination of batteries and inverters stored in a large container with 1MWh capacity and a minimum 1MW output that can be increased in 200kW increments.
The purchase came after Rectron CEO Spencer Chen visited the Intersolar exhibition in Germany in June and concluded that this system was the comprehensive option the company was looking for.
The Huawei FusionSolar 1MWh battery is intended to help reduce the company’s expenses on diesel.
Rectron explained it had spent an average of R120 000 per month on the fuel to run a 600kVA backup generator that provides 24-hour power to its data centre and security systems.
“Finding a sustainable and progressive power solution that enabled us to account for our current power needs and save costs in the long-term has been a top priority for our business for some time,” Chen said.
“We have always been willing to invest in South African businesses, and this acquisition is proof of that. Hopefully, this can serve as a visible case study for other companies considering similar solutions.”
Chen said the BESS would enable Rectron to maintain seamless operations at its Midrand office and run its data centre and IT systems for all five of its branches without any downtime.
“This financial investment in the business will enhance operational efficiency and reduce unnecessary overhead costs,” Chen said.
Rectron expects the BESS will be up and running by December, with installation to be carried out by Maxim Business Solutions.
It will be paired with a solar PV plant with a capacity of 416kWp that is estimated to generate approximately 600 000kWh of power annually.
Rectron said the battery system and solar will act as its primary source of electricity, followed by the grid and, as a last resort, a generator.
Huawei said its BESS used power electronics technologies to resolve the inconsistency and uncertainty of lithium batteries.
Its features include pack-level optimisation and rack-level management to achieve higher comprehensive energy efficiency and reduce the levelized cost of electricity by more than 15% compared with traditional solutions.
Huawei also said the BESS came with extensive safety features.
“The four-layer safety design ensures cell safety, electrical safety, mechanical safety, and system safety, as well as the stable operation of the ESS in all aspects,” Huawei said.
It also boasts cell-level monitoring to prevent thermal runaway in real-time.
“This provides two levels of physical isolation at a system level, and two levels of proactive shutdown by monitoring the software at a battery pack level, ensuring the highest degree of safety."
The publicly available specification sheets of Huawei’s FusionSolar LUNA2000 BESS show it can support up to 2MWh capacity.
That storage is roughly 148 times that of the Tesla Powerwall 2, while the minimum output is about 200 times greater.
It is smaller than Tesla’s commercial and utility-scale solution – the Megapack – which provides 1.9MW output and 3.9MWh of storage.
That comes at a hefty price of $2.25 million (R43.3 million), excluding shipping and maintenance.
Rectron did not reveal how much the 1MW Huawei FusionSolar ESS will cost.
At least two companies in South Africa – Pilot Tools and Subaru – have installed batteries with a combined capacity of 1MWh, and there are several others with solar systems with peak output over 1MW.
MyBroadband also found that Mercedes-Benz has a BESS with 1MW output installed by Sunworx Solar. Its capacity is 2MWh.
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