BT BASE STATION - SOAY

The Challenge

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. 

Soay is situated just south of the Cuillin Ridge on Skye and suffers severe gusts and turbulent winds. The Proven Energy wind turbine is probably the only machine which can withstand such hostile weather conditions.

The Solution

Proven Energy was the preferred choice for BT because of our strong history in telecommunications power.  BT opted for two Proven Energy 2.5kW wind turbines 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.  Where other installed wind turbines have failed with the extreme wind, Proven Energy has excelled providing BT and the island with a sustainable communications service.