A Tier One telecom provider has deployed a hydrogen fuel cell-based long-duration backup solution at an active mobile tower site in Europe.
Developed by GenCell Energy, the technology has been designed to withstand an extremely wide range of temperatures and weather conditions and will kick in immediately to keep the mobile tower operational in the event of a grid outage of any duration.
The GenCell’s G5 solution was installed with six cylinders of hydrogen that will keep it running for extended durations with minimal maintenance or service.
By relying on the G5 to backup mobile sites, the provider will be able to avoid the high costs, complexity and emissions involved in operating and maintaining diesel generators across remote cell sites.
Because the cell sites have limited space for fuel storage and are especially difficult to reach by road in cold, snowy winters, frequent refuelling of diesel backup generators was costly and problematic; the virtually maintenance and service-free G5 will eliminate this drawback.
GenCell has partnered with Messer Group to ensure a smooth, cost-efficient and reliable supply of hydrogen cylinders to the cell tower site.
“GenCell applauds our customer and the forward-thinking telecom industry on their uncompromising dedication and resolute leadership role in transitioning the telecom industry to sustainable energy,” commented Amit Ashkenazi, GenCell Vice-President of Global Sales.
“Especially during the impact of coronavirus when uninterrupted digital connectivity has become even more critical, further magnifying the importance of telecom services, we are pleased to collaborate with the professional and technologically advanced engineering team servicing this site and are proud to have demonstrated that hydrogen fuel cells serve as a critical, cost-effective and exceptionally reliable power resource that keeps cell towers running 24/7 in any conditions while protecting the environment.”