Design and simulation of hydrid solar PV-Diesel generator energy system for a rural off grid telecom site. Case study: Kayumbu Telecom Site

Abstract

Different challenges arise when cellular mobile services are to be provided in remote or rural areas without access of electricity or where construction of electrical networks is not yet implemented. Because of this, the mobile towers and base transmitter stations that are currently in use but are situated in rural areas rely on traditional diesel generators with backup battery banks to provide the necessary power for all the telecom tower equipment’s. More energy sources are needed due to Rwanda's rapidly expanding mobile networks and the rise in cellular base stations in rural areas. Traditional energy sources are expensive due to fuel consumption high cost, and it can lead to pollution of the atmosphere and environmental issues. Additionally, because of Rwanda's rapid development, a variety of services were created, including banks, universities, secondary schools, Irembo services, Electronic Billing Machine services for businesses, and phone conversations. All these services require telecommunication services in rural areas, which has increased demand for diesel-powered off-grid telecom sites. But for these towers to function, they need a steady supply of electricity, which is normally supplied by diesel generators, which can be costly to run because of the high cost of fuel, fuel cost fluctuations, cost of transportation and regular generator maintenance. Diesel generator usage contributes to environmental pollution in addition to high fuel costs. An affordable and sustainable alternative is offered by the hybrid solar PV-diesel generator energy system. The purpose of this study is to design and simulate a hybrid solar PVdiesel generator energy system with lower fuel consumption costs for an off-grid telecom site in a rural area of Rwanda. Additionally, it provides information on how to use the combination of solar Photovoltaic with the diesel generator power system at Kayumbu telecom site, located in rural area, along with a backup battery bank, to supply the site with continuous electrical power. For the Kayumbu site, a stand-alone system is intended to fulfill the necessary power demand. PVSYST software is used for all required modeling and simulation. The fuel cost for this research project has decreased due to the system of design the hybrid power generation of solar photovoltaic and diesel generator