Huawei has set its sights on the hospitality industry in a move that will see players cut operational costs by up to one-tenth. This comes amid a rising expansion of the industry, with Kenya’s registering a marginal increase in business and tourist travel with the former comprising 60 percent of total bookings.
The strategic direction, said the company, informed the rollout of the new Power S power solution that has been developed to serve as a contingency energy pack for high consumers of electricity, especially hotels that need stable supply. The Power S, said Huawei senior executives, uses Huawei’s SmartLi technology to store between 10 and 100 kilowatts of electricity, cutting electricity costs by at least 10%, and is intended to address the current high cost of power and help stabilize an unreliable grid supply.
Speaking during the Fusion Solar Partner Summit in Nairobi, Huawei Digital Power’s President of Global Marketing and Sales Service, Charles Yang said that on average, Kenyan hotels spend an average of 20% of the operating costs on electricity and that with power prices increasing this year for many users alongside the drive for greater reliability and stability of power, many Kenyans are turning to solar to power their homes and businesses.
“Batteries are the most important aspect of a solar power system, determining how much power can be stored—and how safely. Batteries can also be the most expensive part of a solar power system and thus critical that they have a long lifespan. In addition to the quality of the battery cells, clever software is required to optimize the usable energy in the battery and provide information for the user,” he explained, pointing out that as battery technologies improve and prices come down, there is an unmistakable trend, and clearer investment case, to switch to solar.
This, he noted, also enables users to be in control of their power, as people switch from generators, a trend that has accelerated due to the rising cost of fuel that previously made diesel generators an unaffordable backup option.
He added that the firm is a global leader in battery storage and can leverage its 25 years of on-ground experience, knowledge, and networks from telecoms and IT business to ensure its products meet local needs and have the best service levels.
