On the Design of an Optimal Hybrid Energy System for Base Transceiver Stations

The reduction of energy consumption, operation costs and CO2 emissions at the Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) is a major consideration in wireless telecommunications networks, while the utilization of alternative energy sources, such as solar or wind, having emerged as an attractive solution with numerous advantages. Nevertheless, the installation of BTSs with renewable energy, induces specific disadvantages such as the relatively higher costs and the high dependency on weather conditions. To this end, the deployment of hybrid BTSs and the optimal compromise between conventional and alternative energy sources is a very challenging problem with immense importance. In this paper, we propose a hybrid solar-wind-diesel/electricity grid system, which can efficiently feed the load of a BTS. In contrast to previous works, the seasonal effect on the BTS’s electricity consumption is taken into account via considering (i) the radio transmitter and receiver operation strategy, based on the cells’s traffic load, and (ii) the passive cooling. The main objective of the present work is the techno-economical optimization of the proposed hybrid system, via the development of a time-step simulation model, which takes into account the loss of load probability (LOLP) and levelized annual cost (LAC). Finally, considering the case-study of a BTS installed in the Greek island of Kea, it is shown that a combination of photo-voltaic, wind, diesel generators, batteries and electricity grid, for a grid-connected BTS, is the most cost-effective solution. Journal of Green Engineering, Vol. 3, 127–146. c © 2013 River Publishers. All rights reserved. 128 P.D. Diamantoulakis and G.K. Karagiannidis