Feb 12 2010
Eltek Valere announced that Digicel Pacific, a leading wireless operator in South Pacific, has installed a solar-diesel hybrid power system that is based on its Flatpack2 HE Solar Charger to power its wireless network serving Papua New Guinea.
A base station network was established Digicel Pacific in Papua New Guinea to provide more bandwith for its mobile customers. But grid power was not available for many of the sites due to the rugged terrain of the island.
Previously, Digicel Pacific used diesel generators to charge the batteries that were utilized for powering the network equipment. But the efficiency of the system was very low and helicopters were used for supplying fuel. The cost of power worked out to US$6 per kWh by using the generators.
Photovoltaic cells were installed by Digicel Pacific as part of the hybrid solar solution, which enabled the company to reduce the working hours of the generators to four per day besides boosting the efficiency of the system resulting in cost reductions to about US$1 per kWh.
The hybrid solution from Eltek Valere comprises Flatpack2 rectifier and Flatpack2 HE Solar Charger. The DC power system from the company converts both generator and solar power into 48V DC for the load. The entire system is managed by the Smartpack Controller including switching between solar and generators and monitoring input voltage levels and power levels of the battery.
The Flatpack2 HE Solar Charger, which is based on High Efficiency (HE) technology, converts solar power from the solar panels connected to it into 48V DC required for the telecom equipment.
Source: http://www.digicelpacific.com