Huawei has introduced its FusionSolar Micro-grid solution as part of its strategy to support rural electrification in Nigeria, presenting the technology during the Huawei Day Nigeria Power Sub-Forum. The company described the solution as focused on reliability, modularity, and long-term sustainability for off-grid communities.

According to the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), around 80 million Nigerians in rural areas remain without access to electricity. The ongoing Distributed Access to Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) programme aims to address this gap by providing power to 17.5 million residents, 237,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and 3,030 government-run hospitals. A key concern, however, remains the long-term performance and reliability of micro-grid installations.

At the forum, REA Managing Director, Mr. Abba Aliyu, emphasized that the DARES programme includes stricter technical and quality benchmarks. “The new DARES programme enforces stricter technical and quality standards to ensure long-term stability and establish Nigeria and Africa as a benchmark for micro-grid deployment,” he said.

Huawei’s presentation focused on four areas it considers essential to achieving these goals: product quality, after-sales service, scalability, and smart operations and maintenance.

Huawei noted that its focus on research and development (R\&D) plays a central role in maintaining product quality. The company, which has led the inverter market in global shipments since 2015, allocates 20% of its annual revenue to R\&D. This investment supports the development of products suited to Nigeria’s energy transition goals.

The company has also built a spare parts and support network tailored to Nigeria’s geography and infrastructure challenges. Through its “Only Replacement, No Repair” policy, Huawei said faulty components are replaced from local stock rather than repaired. The company outlined a “1+6+25” network comprising a national spare parts hub, six regional warehouses, and 25 field service locations.

Scalability was also highlighted. Huawei’s modular string inverter design allows for independent scaling of solar and storage capacity. Built-in energy optimizers in each battery pack provide real-time balancing, which Huawei said helps improve usable battery capacity by around 2%. The system also supports mixed old and new battery installations, which Huawei described as essential for long-term rural deployment.

For maintenance, the company said its Smart PV Management System (PVMS) reduces site visits and speeds up fault detection. The platform enables monitoring at the string level for PV systems and cell level for batteries. Huawei said this technology reduces on-site maintenance by 50% and improves fault diagnosis time by 80%.

Engr. Obinna Agwu, Managing Director of Ventura, shared practical insights from one of their projects using Huawei technology. “Together with Huawei, we are lighting up a greener Nigeria,” he said, citing the Ebonyi Rural Solar Project, which uses Huawei SUN2000-100KTL inverters and LUNA2000-200kWh smart string energy storage systems. According to Agwu, the site has operated reliably, offering high electricity availability.

He added that the Huawei solution’s modular design supports outdoor installations and simplifies maintenance. “The local Huawei Nigeria team is always available for pre/post-sales support—design, installation, commissioning—to ensure reliable support throughout the solution lifecycle,” Agwu said.

Closing the session, Mr. Cruise Ni, Head of Huawei Digital Power Nigeria, reiterated the company’s long-term commitment. “Huawei will continue innovating and collaborating with partners to advance Nigeria’s energy transition, bringing stable, green, and sustainable power to more rural communities,” he said.

Huawei Digital Power Sub-Saharan Africa focuses on providing low-carbon energy solutions and supports solar, storage, EV charging, and data center infrastructure in over 170 countries. The company reported R\&D spending of CNY164.7 billion in 2023, accounting for 23.4% of its total revenue, with 55% of its global workforce dedicated to research and development.