Environmental aspects and increasing diesel prices have prompted the telecoms industry to place greater emphasis on sustainable development.
In terms of carbon footprint reduction and a sizeable saving of economic resources, renewable energy can be a viable solution, as it can be applied to base transceiver station (BTS) power supply, especially if it is combined with a suitable energy-storage capacity of a continuous and reliable energy source.
The technology introduced by energy services Medipower, together with telecoms market solutions provider Ausonia, has been developed to provide reliable and efficient alternative-energy sources. Ausonia has formed a joint venture with South African company CK Solutions, which will be the lead distributor of these units.
“The high-efficiency solutions family, which includes the hybrid integrated module (Him), the high-efficiency revolution module and the twin-efficiency module, have all been developed by Ausonia to offer the right balance for lowering carbon dioxide emissions, reducing operational costs and enhancing the overall fleet efficiency,” explains Ausonia CEO Massimo Ombra.
Ausonia’s Him represents an efficient way to achieve the advantages of renewable and efficient energy. “The Him can easily and efficiently be integrated with photovoltaic panels and wind turbines, providing complete turn-key systems based on specific site needs and different applications.”
In such operational configuration wind and solar energy can be used with a diesel engine as an additional contribution to charge the Him battery packs.
“This is the typical situation in which the battery pack is auto- matically recharged by the cheapest energy resource available, depending on weather conditions,” says Ombra.
The introduction of the technology onto the market will assist in satisfying telecoms needs, he notes.
“Ausonia has developed the high-efficiency solutions family for off-grid BTS power supply, which represents the best energy-efficient alternative to an alternating current generator operating at all times of the day.”
Further, the modules consist of a direct-current (DC) generator, which charges a battery bank and powers the load simultaneously. The generator is designed to shut down after the battery is charged.
“The concept behind DC cycling is to allow the generator to operate at its peak efficiency to charge the battery bank and shut off for the rest of the time, reducing fuel consumption, engine maintenance and carbon footprint,” concludes Ombra.