vodacom telecom

The Challenge

Vodacom South Africa has a remote base station that is situated on Blesberg Mountain.  The Blesberg telecom site is in a natural reserve that currently has no access to on grid electricity.  There is a requirement for Vodacom to use a green energy source as the base station is sited in a natural reserve. The base station requires a constant load of 1178 Watts to power the phones lines so requires a reliable device that can provide a continuous energy supply.  The base station is currently powered by a diesel generator that is very expensive for Vodacom to run.  It requires constant refuelling and regular servicing which often proves difficult due to the remote location of the base station.
 

The Solution

Vodacom have opted for a Proven 2.5kW battery storage system and an array of Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels to power the telecom base station.  The Proven Energy wind turbine produces enough power to run the base station, and the solar panels are being used as a backup power source.  The battery storage system also ensures that a continuous supply of electricity is available.  As the site is a natural reserve the use of a wind turbine will provide a zero emissions solution to powering the telecom base station.  The turbine is sited in a high location so has no environmental impact.  The Proven 2.5kW requires only annual maintenance which has eliminated the need for expensive generator refuelling and regular servicing.