- Off-grid cell sites
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An off-grid cell site is a cell site that is not connected to the power grid. Usually the system is not connected to the grid because it is situated in a place which is difficult to get to or because it doesn't have any civil infrastructure nearby (so the investment to put down a grid is not economically convenient).
The electrical power availability is a growing issue in the telecommunication industry. The exponential growth of cellular networks asks for more cell sites to be built. Sometimes cell sites are needed in some places where the electrical grid is not available. In these cases, the main problem is to have electrical power with good availability and low costs. Usually the solution involves fuel cells connected to a generator; but this has high costs and high environmental impact.
SIMEA: Alternative Energy Modular Integrated System
A new possibility is brought by the renewable sources: solar power, wind power... All those natural sources that are available where cell sites are placed. They are backed up by a fuel generator system which allows the cell site to work when the renewable sources are not enough.
Contents
How off-grid cell sites work
The energy production system is composed by:
The electrical power is stored in batteries. The accumulators are usually designed to have an average of 5 days of self-sufficiencies, in order to leave the maintenance team enough time to arrive to the site and fix the eventual problems. The renewable energy systems supply electrical power to the SIMEA when the atmospherical conditions allow them to operate properly. The fuels cells are activated only in emergency conditions: when the natural sources are not enough to supply the energy the system needs. The emergency power supply (the fuel cells) is designed to last an average of 10 days. The SIMEA system is designed to function with a fix date maintenance program: this is useful for those sites which is hard to get to (e.g mountains in winter time).
SIMEA - Alternative Energy Modular Integrated System
The Alternative Energy Modular Integrated System is an off-grid cell site that allows the reduction of costs, of the environmental impact and of the air pollution. The system uses the renewable sources that are available where it is placed. It has also a really high efficiency that enables high availability of electrical power and low costs. SIMEA uses solar powered generator and wind powered generator to produce all the electrical power that it needs. It is provided of batteries that store the energy and it has fuel cells that keep the system working in case the renewable sources are not enough. In this way the structure is completely self-sufficient: this enables the maintenance team to pay only few visits to the site, since it is usually hard to get to.
SIMEA wiring structureSee also
- Cell site
- Mobile cell sites
- Concealed cell sites
- Cell on wheels
External links
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