Huawei Eastern Africa recently hosted a high-level roundtable in Nairobi focused on integrating solar and battery storage technologies to strengthen Kenya’s power grid and support the country’s transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030.
The event, themed “Utility PV and Battery Energy Storage Systems: Energy Storage Integration for Kenya’s Grid Resilience & Energy Transition,” brought together key stakeholders from KPLC, EPRA, KETRACO, and KENGEN to explore how technologies like Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and grid-forming inverters can stabilize the grid as solar capacity continues to grow.
“As Kenya accelerates its transition to clean energy, the roundtable emphasized the importance of innovative storage solutions and smart grid technologies to ensure that solar power can be efficiently integrated and managed within the national grid. These technologies will be essential for enhancing grid resilience, reliability, and affordability—key pillars of Kenya’s green energy transition,” read a statement from Huawei Eastern Africa.
Kenya has made major strides in clean energy adoption and now boasts over 1,600 solar companies and nearly 2,000 trained technicians. However, experts stressed the need for robust storage and smart grid infrastructure to manage renewable energy intermittency and ensure reliability.
The roundtable also highlighted the role of off-grid and mini-grid solar solutions in improving rural electrification, as well as the importance of policy support and skills development to sustain growth in the sector.
“One of the central themes discussed at the roundtable was the critical role of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in stabilizing Kenya’s increasingly renewable-powered grid. With solar capacity rapidly growing, BESS solutions will allow excess energy to be stored and used when solar production is low or demand is high. This capability is essential to mitigating the intermittency of renewable sources and ensuring reliable, affordable, and clean energy for all Kenyans, in line with the country’s sustainability goals,” read the statement.
Huawei reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Kenya’s energy goals through innovative technologies and partnerships that drive efficiency, access, and climate resilience.
“With Kenya’s solar generation capacity expanding, the use of grid-forming inverters will be instrumental in providing the voltage and frequency regulation needed to maintain a stable and resilient grid, while avoiding blackouts or disruptions in service,” read the statement.