Assessing the effect of remote monitoring and management of a solar-diesel hybrid system for mobile communication towers

Abstract

The project looks at developing a robust energy management solution for the operation of mobile communication towers. The study focuses primarily on looking at the energy needs of a telecommunication site, modeling an optimal energy solution through simulations using data obtained on site. The results obtained are tested on more than one occasion with the zon max software which gives that provision of new energy management systems putting into consideration analysis of the KPIs such as generator performance not going outside the normal load levels, batteries kept at consistent levels of charge and required charging capacity, energy asset usage and renewable energy utilisation. The key results obtained from this clearly showed optimization of energy, the amount of fuel used by the gensets, battery usage, PV usage, the time each energy provision model is used during the day, the solar load and battery state of charge with energy efficiency from live data obtained. In conclusion, the results obtained indicate an improvement in energy management with optimization being key. This was observed through the usage of more renewable energy sources and genset being the last resort. Recommendations made include deploying more renewable energy sources on sites to further limit reliance on diesel, deployment of more smart battery banks which can be remotely monitored and ensuring optimal performance, through deployment of energy saving equipment as used by telecommunication operators.