Wind & Solar Power

Case Study: MTC, Namibia

In April 2007, the GSMA Development Fund, together with Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) of Namibia and Motorola, commissioned a trial site for a wind and solar power solution to support the operator's remote GSM cellsites.

The purpose of the 90-day trial was to validate the use of wind and solar power as a feasible and cost-effective alternative to using fuel generators at sites where the main grid connection is not available, too costly to run, or would take months, even years, to connect.

The trial involved the installation of the Motorola wind and solar solution at Dordabis, a site 100km east of Windhoek. This then became the single source of power for the base station equipment situated there.

Four main elements comprised the solution:

• 6kW turbine mounted on a 15m mast with a 5.5m rotor diameter with the potential to generate 6,000 to 12,000 kWh annually
• 28,190W solar panels with a cumulative power of 5.32kW mounted on a steel structure facing north. Two groups of 24 DWEF First National Batteries, able to provide 60 hours support time
• Motorola control cabinet, housing all monitoring equipment and controllers responsible for regulating power supply

During the trial the MTC cellsite carried the same level of traffic as its usual operation. The 90-day trial concluded there were strong enough wind speeds and ample solar irradiation levels to power the base station site. The solution provided an average of 198kWh of power per week, 10kWh greater than necessary.

These results demonstrated that the solution can support a typical 1400W- 1800W, 6-carrier base station, supplying around 200kWh of power per week. It also concluded a wind and solar solution has a return on investment period of three years, making it a financially viable option for operators wanting to expand their network into rural and remote locations.

From an environmental perspective there were two significant benefits MTC found in using wind and solar power:

• MTC could save 12.55kg of CO^² per day, or roughly 4,580kg annually using wind and solar over electricity grid.
• MTC could save an additional 649.25kgs of CO^² emissions annually by removing backup Diesel Generators and using wind and solar power.

This project is just the first in a planned series in conjunction with Motorola.

"With the implementation of cell sites into more remote areas the Motorola solution provides us with an efficient and reliable alternative to the often costly roll-out of mains grid electricity. It is a commitment to our customers to provide the essential communication services needed in the region."

Albertus Aochamub,
Corporate Services General
Manager, MTC Namibia.