Photovoltaic-Battery Systems Design to Improve the Self-Sufficiency of Telecommunication Towers

Abstract

The goal of the present work is to maximize the self-sufficiency of power needs for telecommunication stations by installing PhotoVoltaic (PV) systems. The available land for PV installation in areas with telecommunication towers is, generally, poor, and a proper sizing procedure is required. In this work, it is supposed to dismiss the old telecommunication tower of three sites and install properly designed towers. Three types of towers with different active PV surfaces are analyzed for each site using 3D models. Then, energy balances and financial parameters are calculated and compared, demonstrating the feasibility of the investment. For one of the towers under analysis, the integration of a storage system is investigated by estimating its energy and economic benefits.