I’ve Seen Wind and I’ve Seen…Solar?

A technology must be impressive and cost-efficient when an established telecom provider such as British Telecom (BT) and a young upstart operator in Turkey choose to employ it as an alternative power solution for their base stations. Read about two international providers that benefited from keeping an open and green mind to powering their base stations.

British Telecom: Isle of Soay, Scotland
The Isle of Soay is located off the south coast of Skye, Scotland, and has no connection to the national grid. BT’s remote base station powers the phone lines and microwave link to the small population. Relying on a diesel generator to provide the power for the telecoms services was costly and inefficient due to the constant maintenance trips and re-fuelling required. In order for generator maintenance to be carried out and fuel to be deposited, a boat was required to reach the island and then a small dinghy brings the resource onto a stony beach at Soay - not the easiest or safest of trips. This proved not to be economically viable as the infrastructure of the island was not suitable for diesel generator operations.

In addition to being remotely located, Soay is situated just south of the Cuillin Ridge on Skye and suffers severe gusts and turbulent winds. This added another challenge to providing supplementary power to BT’s base station.

BT chose an alternative solution for this particular application. (See Figure 1.) The solution included two 2.5kW wind turbines from Proven Energy for battery charging with a supplementary generation from solar panels. The renewable energy provided from the hybrid solution removed the costly maintenance and re-fuelling schedule decreasing expenditure. The 2.5 wind turbines provide between 2,500kWh to 5,000kWh of electricity annually. The exposed location and high winds of Soay ensures that the wind turbines produce maximum output. Excess power is stored in batteries and assists powering the base station during very calm weather.

Fuel runs and multiple maintenance trips are no longer required because the hybrid battery charging system provides a reliable, sustainable power source for the island.

Avea, Turkey’s youngest operator in the telecoms market shows its commitment to the environment by using a similar solution to the one British Telecom employed – but for a different reason. In this case, the area Avea served was one of the largest in Turkey, but the provider could not count on consistent levels of sun and wind. Therefore, they installed a hybrid solar and wind turbine from Proven Energy so the energy supplied could be more predictable. (See Figure 2.)

Installing a hybrid system has a quicker payback comparing solar panels and wind turbines alone, and traditional diesel generators omit greenhouse gases that have a detrimental effect on the environment.

Girasolar director Erol Barendregt stated, “The hybrid solution is the best option because the sun and wind resources have opposite cycles and intensities during the day. Wind and solar power are understood to be among the best natural alternatives to fuel based electricity generation. By using both in a system that is designed to supplement each other you get a continuous and reliable power supply.”

Proven Energy is a supplier of small scale wind turbines. Its high performance turbine design is the result of almost 30 years of inspiration, innovation, and development. Proven Energy is based in the west of Scotland, India, and the U.S. For more information, visit www.provenenergy.co.uk.

The GiraSolar group builds upon more than 30 years of solid solar experience of its oldest subsidiaries, affiliates, and team members. It further represents various international companies in the Netherlands and abroad, aiming to provide a gateway to Europe, Latin America, and Africa. For more information, visit www.girasolar.com.tr.

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