Feasibility study of solar PV arrays in grid connected cellular BTS sites

Abstract

This These Mobile operators of Bangladesh are experiencing a fast growth of consumer market which has made it one of the highest growing areas of business. Power failure is a serious problem which the mobile operators are facing frequently and Diesel Generators (DG) are the common mean to tackle this problem. But constant increase of fuel price is a big concern for optimum operation of telecom Base Transceiver Stations (BTS). Therefore mobile operators are finding this system very cost ineffective and difficult to rely upon. Environmental issue is another major concern as burning diesel fuel increases emission of Carbon-Di-Oxide (CO2) and other harmful Greenhouse Gas (GHG). Renewable energy i.e. solar energy based solutions has the capability to overcome these aforesaid complications in context of Bangladesh. This paper gives emphasis on grid connected BTS sites powered by Solar PV (SPV) arrays along with DG's. The simulation of feasibility study and optimization analysis of proposed model has been performed using HOMER software. From the results of the simulation it is evident that SPV-Battery based systems are really cost-effective although requires a huge initial investment and at the same time they are much more environment friendly than the existing system.