Analysis of Hybrid Energy Systems for Telecommunications Equipment: A Case Study in Buea Cameroon

Abstract

The considerable expansion of telecommunications infrastructure in non-electrified areas has led to massive consumption of non-renewable energy sources by diesel generators. The promotion of renewable energy technologies as an alternative to these diesel generators is until now confronted with the problems of Capital Expenditures and system reliability. The hybridization of fossil fuels with renewable energies would make it possible to find a better quality/cost/environment ratio for the supply of off-grid telecommunication base stations (BSs).This paper presents the analyses of eight different hybrid energy systems dedicated for telecommunications equipment with a BS antenna as case study. The techno-economic analysis of hybrid energy system comprises solar, wind and the existing power supply. All the necessary modelling, simulations, and techno-economic evaluations are carried out using the assessment software package HOMER (Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable). The result shows that adding solar PV to the existing system is the optimal option. For the site studied powered by grid and diesel generator, the hybrid PV-diesel-grid with storage battery system is the best optimal system configuration for the chosen antenna with an initial capital cost of 34,619$, a Net Present Cost (NPC) of 55,588$ and a Cost of Energy (COE) of 0.39$/kWh.