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Philippe Wang, President of Digital Power, Huawei Northern Africa (North, West and Central Africa)
As governments worldwide intensify efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, respond to the climate crisis, and secure reliable energy supplies in the face of rising demand, the global energy sector is undergoing a profound and accelerated transformation. At the center of this shift is the rise of green energy, particularly renewable sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower, which are no longer peripheral alternatives but central pillars of national energy strategies. This momentum is reinforced by rapid technological advances, declining costs of renewable generation, and growing recognition that clean energy is not only a climate imperative but also a driver of economic resilience, energy independence, and industrial competitiveness. The transition to green energy has therefore become an essential path for sustainable development, shaping how countries invest, innovate, and collaborate to meet both environmental and economic goals.
In this interview, Philippe WANG, president of Digital Power, Huawei Northern Africa (North, West and Central Africa), shares the company’s approach to “high-quality” deployment, what that means in practice, and how it aligns with the region’s opportunities and challenges.
Mr. Wang, you mentioned the “commitment to high quality.” What does this commitment mean for the energy industry in Africa?
In Africa, the shift to green energy is not just a technological step; it is a responsibility. The continent faces some of the toughest conditions anywhere: salty coastal air, temperature above 50°C in some regions, and fine desert dust that can cut equipment efficiency by up to 30% if systems are not well designed & maintained. Without robust design, equipment fails more often, costs more to maintain, and lets people down when it matters most. Our High-quality systems are built for these realities. They last longer, work more reliably, and need less maintenance which makes the transition more climate-resilient.
Quality also speaks to urgent human needs. Around 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa still lack electricity, and many others face routine outages. The impact is felt across public services and critical infrastructure: as of 2021, only 28% of healthcare facilities had reliable power; in education, a 2025 study found that 32% of school-age children live near unelectrified schools. In many countries, hospitals, banks, airports and other essential services operate under the constant risk of blackout, relying on costly diesel backup. High-quality green energy solutions such as PV power generation and grid forming energy storage systems can address this by providing stable, continuous electricity etc. This not only strengthens communities but also supports the development of local economies.
When I talk about a “commitment to high quality,” I mean building systems that people and employers can depend on for years, not quarters. The point is simple: make the transition deliver lasting benefits, lower lifetime costs, low failure rate, and a stronger foundation for communities and local economies.
You mentioned that Africa’s climate and environmental variability impose high demands on energy equipment. How does Huawei address these challenges?
To meet those demands, testing sits at the core of our quality strategy at Huawei Digital Power. We test complete systems, not just parts. The process runs in four stages: component, system, solution and semi-realistic simulation, each to strict standards. We then verify performance in the field, in conditions that match deployment: extreme heat and cold, prolonged dryness, high humidity, dust and corrosive salt-mist. By building these stresses into design and validation, we ensure our inverters, controllers and battery systems operate stably for years in complex environments.
We back this with sustained R&D: in 2024, 20.8% of annual revenue was reinvested in R&D of innovative technologies such as AI and foundational technologies, thus offering high-quality and competitive products and solutions. That keeps our equipment reliable in the field and aligned with customer needs.
The Salam Office project in Chad shows what this looks like in practice. It has an installed solar PV capacity of 300 kWp, paired with 1 MWh of energy storage systems, to store energy for use after sunset or during grid cuts. Huawei 50 kW inverters convert the solar power into electricity the campus can use. Since its launch in November 2024, the system has covered most of the site’s daily electricity needs and has operated for several months in conditions with temperatures reaching up to 45 °C. It is a commercial and industrial setup that can operate with or without the national grid, clear evidence that stable, high-quality power is achievable in extreme conditions.
Power supply in Africa faces instability challenges, particularly in remote areas. How does Huawei ensure that its grid forming energy storage systems maintain high quality and stable operation in these environments?
In remote areas, storage has to be safe and steady first, day and night. Our grid forming energy storage systems (ESS) are built so that if a single battery cell overheats, the issue is confined to its module and does not spread to the rest of the modules. We call this pack-level thermal-runaway non-propagation. Additionally, we use a layered battery management system (BMS), the control center, that detects temperature, voltage and current, balances cells, and can switch a module off to protect the whole. In practice: a cell overheats; the BMS detects it; fire-resistant barriers and venting isolate the module; the rest keeps running. That’s what lets remote sites ride out heatwaves, voltage dips and long grid outages while power stays on.
We also combine four core technologies, what we call 4T, to keep storage stable in tough conditions and reduce the diagnosis error rate. BiT adds digital control and analytics for early fault detection and remote diagnostics; WatT brings high-efficiency power electronics that stabilize charging and discharging; HeaT manages temperature precisely, so cells stay within safe ranges in hot or humid climates; BatTery covers balancing, state-of-charge and state-of-health, which protects cycle life. This convergence is the point: one system, managed end-to-end, rather than separate boxes that don’t “communicate” to each other.
This ensures that we can provide a continuous power supply in complex environments, supporting Africa’s green energy transition and meeting the region’s need for long-term stable electricity.
What is your vision for the sustainable development of new energy in the future?
My vision starts with long-termism. The sustainable development of new energy will be a profound and steady transformation. True high quality is not about technological leadership at one moment in time or in one market; it is about building solutions that withstand the test of time in changing environments.
For me, that means being a partner, not just a passing supplier. We commit for the full life of a project from planning and financing structures that work over time, to operations, maintenance, and upgrade paths that don’t force clients to start from scratch. The goal is simple: low failure rate, low maintenance costs, and an optimized cost per kilowatt-hour as assets age.
Long-termism is also an economic choice. It ensures that the technologies we deploy meet today’s needs while maintaining efficiency and stability for years, even under extreme climate and environmental conditions. Reliable power reduces risk for investors, keeps businesses and essential services running, and frees public budgets from constant emergency fixes, allowing fast-growing regions to develop without being held back by fragile infrastructure.
This is the role I see for Huawei Digital Power in Northern Africa: a stable, accountable partner whose solutions provide a solid foundation for the energy transition and the momentum to drive it into the future, specifically supporting the long-term energy goals of the region.