Ge Transportation: Off-grid telecom base station

1. Ge Transportation:Off-grid telecom base station Designed by: Nathaniel Lageman Colin Kreft Jerry Lynch Benjamin Sepe EDSGN 100.14

2. Table of Contents • Project Objective • Recognition of the Need • Defining the Problem • Design Specifications • Background on Location • The Sources of Power • Battery • Solar Panels • Wind • Generator • Concept Generation • Sketches • Final Design Selection • Cost Analysis • Conclusion

3. Project Objective • Design a telecom cell phone base station that uses sustainable energy sources, a diesel generator system, and sodium metal halide batteries to optimize green power used to run a base station. • The system should optimize available power in areas with either no energy grid or a highly unreliable one. *GE Hand-Out

4. Recognizing the need • We recognize the need to develop an easily implemented telecom base station that utilizes renewable energy.

5. The Problem AT hand • Our issue stems from the unreliable grid • What sources of renewable energy will we use • To what extent will we rely on what source

6. Design Specifications • 1.2 Kilowatt load • Implementation of GE’s Sodium Metal Halide Battery • No access to the grid • Renewable energy sources

7. Gaining Insight: Wiruca, Nicaragua • 48 families • Occupation: Coffee Farmers • Region is Mountainous • 12 hours of sunlight on average

8. Sources of power • Sodium Metal Halide Battery • New battery made by GE • 32 kwh effective capacity • Charging efficiency: 97% • Discharging efficiency: 92% • Solar Systems • 6 kw system • Priced around $35,000 • Converts the Sun’s UV rays into energy • High startup cost • Low running cost

9. Sources of power • Wind turbines • Converts wind into energy • High startup cost • Low running cost • Generator • Converts a fuel into energy • Low startup cost • High running cost

10. Concept Generation • Solar only • Unreliable • Wind only • Unreliable • Solar and Wind only • Too expensive to make reliable • Solar, Wind, and Generator • High cost • Solar and Generator only • Good output for the cost • Wind and Generator • High running cost

11. Sketches

12. Sketches

13. Final Design • Solar and Generator • 6 kw system • Charges batteries during the daylight hours • Generator runs when the solar system and battery are unable to sustain 1.2kw load

14. Cost analysis • 6 kw solar system • Price ~ $35,000 • Provides 90% of the power • Generator • Runs ~ 1,306 hours • Uses 156 gal • Sustaining cost ~ $590 per year • Money saved • Over 10 years the telecom centers can save over $20,000 • Over 20 years the telecom centers can save over $65,000

15. Completed design

16. Completed design

17. Summary • We decided to use a 6 kw solar system and a generator • A telecommunications base station • Use of alternative energy • Utilizing the GE Battery

18. References http://www.ge.com/ http://www.solarhome.org/ http://www.affordablehomeelectronics.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=111006

19. QUESTIONS ?