Feasibility Analysis of Stand-Alone Renewable Energy Supply for Telecommunication Tower Using Homer

Abstract

This paper deals with the importance and need of using solar photovoltaic (PV) system as a stand-alone system instead of diesel generators for electrical energy supply of a communication tower owned by Celcom (Malaysia) Berhad at G0422 Batu 18, Ulu Langat, Selangor, Malaysia. It can be considered as a commercial renewable energy application in Malaysia, addressing the potential and possibility of adopting solar energy resources, particularly for sectors with high energy consumption. The electric power generation system, which consists of solar PV system hybrid with diesel generator, has the ability to provide 24 hours electricity to the load. To optimize the system design, this work compares a wide range of equipment with different constraints and sensitivities. The Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) was utilized for designing the system in the early phases of planning and decision making in rural electrification projects due to its flexibility. The analysis is based on the technical properties and life cycle cost (LCC) of the system. The initial capital cost, cost of installation and operation costs over the system’s life span is comprised in the LCC. This system offers a better reliability, efficiency, flexibility of planning and environmental benefits compared to the diesel generators systems by saving the environment from the burning of fossil fuels. The proposed system is able to supply 3.5kW of power which is suitable for actual site loading requirement of around 3kW. The economic output from HOMER exhibits that the tower without diesel generator, total net present cost is RM 610,639, the highest compared with a tower with diesel generator; RM 421,244.