Search

An attempt has been made to evaluate the financial feasibility of hybrid power supply option during real-time grid power unavailability (continuous and intermittent) conditions and determine the optimal hybrid power supply configurations for outdoor telecom towers in India. As grid power availability is highly dependent on locations, a review of real-time hourly grid power supply availability for telecom towers at 36 locations in different parts of India has also been presented. Ten different locations across different climatic zones were analyzed, and it was found that duration and continuity (continuous and intermittent) of power outages considerably affect the LCOE of different configurations. So it is imperative that these factors be taken into account when determining the optimal hybrid power system. Solar PV-based hybrid power supply systems were found to have lower LCOE for all power outage conditions both in continuous as well as intermittent with their values in the range of Indian rupees (INR) 6.76–INR 26.32 (US $0.095–US $0.371) per kWh for the optimal cases (1 US$ = INR 76.28 (As on April 27, 2020)). While solar PV with battery is found to be the least cost hybrid power supply options for the telecom towers located in areas with continuous grid power unavailability up to 4 h, a diesel generator also needs to be included for larger hours of continuous grid unavailability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effect of several site-specific factors on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions stemming from operation of 4G and 5G technology-based telecommunication towers at many locations across India with focus on the assessment of the incremental change expected due to 5G technology adoption. Also, the impact of adopting solar photovoltaics (PV) based hybrid power systems on overall CO 2 emissions from operation of telecom towers. Optimal designs of solar PV-based hybrid systems are obtained using HOMER software for 25 diverse Indian locations for powering both 4G and 5G telecom towers while considering site-specific factors such as solar resource availability, availability and tariff of grid electricity and the unit price of diesel used in the Diesel Generator (DG) of the hybrid system. From the results of the study it is noted that, with the current energy supply mix, a tripling of the carbon dioxide emissions is expected if all of India's 0.71 million telecom towers adopt 5G technology. Adoption of solar PV-based systems along with grid electricity and diesel generator in hybrid mode has the potential to reduces carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 55 % for the existing telecom towers in India. For the case of all telecom towers transitioning to 5G technology, about 58 % reduction in CO 2 emissions is possible with the adoption of PV-based hybrid power systems. From the perspective of the unit cost of CO 2 emissions mitigation, the adoption of solar PV-based hybrid systems is found to be a no regret option. Results of the study have significant policy implications towards designing appropriate strategies for reducing carbon footprint of telecom tower operation in India. • CO 2 emissions from telecom towers to triple in India with 5G over 4G technology. • Solar PV hybrid systems can mitigate 55 % of CO 2 emissions for existing levels. • In case of 100 % 5G adoption, 58 % reduction in CO 2 emissions is possible with solar PV. • Solar PV hybrid systems offer a no-regret option to mitigate telecom CO 2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]