The Growth of Renewable Energy in Mobile Towers: The Role of Ecosystem Players and Innovative Technologies

The Growth of Renewable Energy in Mobile Towers: The Role of Ecosystem Players and Innovative Technologies

At the end of 2020, GSMA CleanTech released the "Renewable Energy for Mobile Towers" report, which examines the current state of the mobile tower industry, how it has changed in recent years, and, in most cases, the hurdles that still need to be overcome. Off-grid and bad grid towers can use renewable energy. While revealing some positive trends, the report also highlights the opportunity to reduce the 2.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from diesel generators in off-grid and broken-grid towers per year. The report's findings are summarized in a short video, which can be viewed here.

This blog is the first in a series highlighting examples of technological innovation and pioneering work being done across the industry. We will examine the role of four stakeholder groups: ecosystem players, mobile network operators, tower companies and energy service providers in driving increased use of renewable energy in mobile towers. In this first blog, we look at the role of a key group of organizations we call "ecosystem actors". The technologies and deployments cited in the first blog came from representatives from Ericsson, Huawei and ZTE who kindly shared examples of how they are supporting industry adoption of renewable energy.

Οι χώροι με περιορισμένο χώρο ή σκιά δεν είναι κατάλληλοι για ηλιακό

The past decade has seen a remarkable series of innovations that together have truly transformed the way renewable energy is used to power, operate and protect mobile towers. Previously, many areas were considered unsuitable for photovoltaic (PV) panels, especially if these sites offered limited space or were in shade. However, newer photovoltaic optimizer technologies, such as Huawei's iPV products, allow solar panels in series (one after the other) to communicate via powerline communication technology and automatically change voltage and current to ensure they consistently deliver maximum power. This reduces shadow effects on adjacent panels by up to 67 percent , and also provides greater flexibility in the number of panels that can be used. The deployment of this technology in Europe and Asia has boosted electricity demand at 2.5kW sites with 24 percent less space than would be expected using unoptimized panels. For example, in Pakistan, ZTE has retrofitted more than 200 sites with solar equipment without site expansion; these sites subsequently saved 80 percent of diesel fuel costs.

Οι ακραίες περιβαλλοντικές συνθήκες καθιστούν τις ανανεώσιμες λύσεις ακατάλληλες

Στο παρελθόν, τα συστήματα ανανεώσιμων πηγών ενέργειας δυσκολεύτηκαν επίσης να αντιμετωπίσουν τις ακραίες θερμοκρασίες σε σύγκριση με τα συστήματα ντίζελ. Με σημαντικές βελτιώσεις στην τεχνολογία των μπαταριών, οι χημικές μπαταρίες προσφέρουν πλέον μεγαλύτερες ανοχές θερμοκρασίας. Χρησιμοποιώντας τις μπαταρίες της που είναι ανθεκτικές στη θερμότητα και υψηλού Σύστημα μπαταριών -ντίζελ- στο Νότιο Σουδάν, όπου οι θερμοκρασίες μπορεί να φτάσουν τους 40 βαθμούς Κελσίου. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο, η ZTE έχει δείξει πειστικά ότι το σύστημα μπαταρίας μπορεί να λειτουργήσει σε δύσκολα θερμικά περιβάλλοντα.

Το ZTE αναπτύσσεται στα 5.180 μέτρα πάνω από την επιφάνεια της θάλασσας στο Έβερεστ στο Νεπάλ. Η εξαιρετικά δύσκολη-πρόσβαση στον ιστότοπο σημαίνει ότι η αρχιτεκτονική υβριδικού συστήματος ηλιακών κυψελών χαμηλής{3}}συντήρησης είναι η καλύτερη επιλογή.

Η χρήση πολλαπλών πηγών ενέργειας δημιουργεί προκλήσεις διαχείρισης ενέργειας

Despite their negative impact on the environment, diesel generators have long been seen as an extremely reliable alternative energy source in the event of grid unavailability or disruption. However, recent advances in connectivity and remote data management have enabled new energy management systems such as iEnergy (ZTE), NetEco (Huawei) and Ericsson Network Manager to manage hybrid energy systems more efficiently. By processing data on battery state of charge and solar radiation, among many other variables, cloud-based software leveraging AI data processing techniques can provide intelligent, actionable insights to help operators optimize power generation and energy usage. This, in turn, helps maintain the longevity of the equipment, minimizes energy costs and ensures uninterrupted power for radio equipment. For grid-connected systems, teleintelligence is now able to optimize grid demand based on tariffs, minimize power consumption during times of high tariffs, and reduce peak power demand (peak shaving), thereby minimizing costs. Examples of recent successful remote data management include Ericsson's 13kWp solar-diesel hybrid system in Bolivia and Huawei's 6kWp solar-diesel hybrid system in Ethiopia. The Ericsson Enclosure 6150 product with solar add-on rack provides existing and new build sites with the ability to add up to 10kWp of solar power, seamlessly managing additional power in on-grid and off-grid applications. Minimize the power consumed at higher rate times and reduce peak power demand (peak shaving) to minimize costs. Examples of recent successful remote data management include Ericsson's 13kWp solar-diesel hybrid system in Bolivia and Huawei's 6kWp solar-diesel hybrid system in Ethiopia. The Ericsson Enclosure 6150 product with solar add-on rack provides existing and new build sites with the ability to add up to 10kWp of solar power, seamlessly managing additional power in on-grid and off-grid applications. Minimize the power consumed at higher rate times and reduce peak power demand (peak shaving) to minimize costs. Examples of recent successful remote data management include Ericsson's 13kWp solar-diesel hybrid system in Bolivia and Huawei's 6kWp solar-diesel hybrid system in Ethiopia. The Ericsson Enclosure 6150 product with solar add-on rack provides existing and new build sites with the ability to add up to 10kWp of solar power, seamlessly managing additional power in on-grid and off-grid applications.

Η μεταβλητότητα στην αιολική και ηλιακή ακτινοβολία σημαίνει ότι οι ανανεώσιμες πηγές ενέργειας δεν μπορούν να παρέχουν σταθερή ηλεκτρική ενέργεια

Huawei's solar-diesel hybrid system in Ethiopia. The addition of solar energy is estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 26 metric tons per year.

Importantly, weather data can also be fed into management systems, allowing them to predict and optimize energy flow. Predictive analytics means the tower's power management parameters can change daily based on local weather conditions, saving money. For example, the system can shut down diesel generators or stop drawing electricity from the grid based on forecasts of weather and on-site load. This allows the battery to release more energy at night and store more solar energy. As a result, this reduces the system's dependence on diesel and the grid. A solar-diesel hybrid system implemented by Huawei in Somalia, which replaced pure diesel electricity, realized a return on investment in less than three years after the system was installed.

Οι αποτυχίες συστήματος απαιτούν-επισκέψεις στον ιστότοπο για διάγνωση και επισκευή

Another benefit of these new monitoring systems is that they allow operators to identify faults remotely. This allows operators to reduce site visits, resolve faults faster, and perform pre-emptive maintenance. Of course, the combined result is lower operating costs and less system downtime. In Tanzania, for example, Ericsson has deployed a pure solar off-grid system using its Enclosure 6135 product, which has a solar energy converter capacity of 20kW. Because Ericsson's monitoring platform combines data from passive devices (such as batteries) and active site devices (such as radio communication equipment), site-wide information can be viewed on a single platform. This provides real-time remote control of all assets, increasing site security,

κλοπή εξοπλισμού

Η Ericsson αναπτύσσει μια καθαρή ηλιακή τοποθεσία στην Τανζανία με το Enclosure 6135.

Finally, the continued digitization of mobile tower power systems is unlocking the capabilities of technology to reduce a major problem facing many remote mobile towers: asset theft. Huawei's NetEco surveillance system can track GPS-embedded devices, including lithium-ion batteries, while software can allow stolen devices to shut down when connected to unregistered devices. Additionally, accelerometers and gyroscopes can detect if the device moves unexpectedly and trigger an alarm. The deployment of ZTE's smart SmartLi lithium-ion batteries in Pakistan has achieved remarkable results, with more than 11,000 SmartLi batteries deployed in Pakistan, including at sites where lead-acid batteries are combined. In Libya, SmartLi-deployed sites address persistent battery theft,

Την τελευταία δεκαετία, οι τεχνικές προκλήσεις αναφέρθηκαν ως λόγος για τη μη υιοθέτηση των ανανεώσιμων πηγών ενέργειας. Ωστόσο, χρησιμοποιώντας καινοτόμες λύσεις και προηγμένες τεχνολογίες, η υπέρβαση αυτών των προκλήσεων κατέστη δυνατή και είναι πλέον τεχνικά εφικτή η εφαρμογή λύσεων ανανεώσιμων πηγών ενέργειας ακόμη και στις πιο δύσκολες τοποθεσίες. Στο μέλλον, φαίνεται ότι αυτοί οι παίκτες του οικοσυστήματος θα συνεχίσουν να αυξάνουν το φάσμα των λύσεων ανανεώσιμων πηγών ενέργειας που προσφέρουν. Για παράδειγμα, με το όραμα μιας εταιρείας 100 τοις εκατό ανανεώσιμων πηγών ενέργειας, η Ericsson θα αναπτύξει λύσεις αιολικής ενέργειας το 2021 για να συμπληρώσει την παραγωγή ηλιακής ενέργειας και την αποθήκευση ιόντων λιθίου- ως μέρος της τελευταίας γενιάς εξοπλισμού της (Enclosure 6140) για ανάπτυξη στον κλάδο. Η Ericsson πειραματίζεται αυτήν τη στιγμή με μικρές-εύκολες-εγκαταστάσεις, μικρο-ηλιακές λύσεις,