The telecommunications sector is a major area in which photovoltaic power has several industrial applications. Solar power plants are very often used in Wireless Local Loop (WLL), GSM, Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT), Microwave Radio and Optical Fibre systems. In the oil and gas industry, there is a significant growth in electrical power supply for cathodic protection and remote management systems (SCADA & RTU), feed stations and isolating valve assemblies. There is also great potential in other applications such as air traffic management (ATM), shipping / aeronautical / road / railway lighting and remote measurement systems.
How it works
Solar power is especially good for supplying devices that have a permanent consumption of up to 1,200 W at 12, 24 or 48 V DC. Should these devices require steady state voltage or alternating current, a transducer is used. Depending on the size of the system, a backup system can be offered to allow for maintenance accessibility and guarantee functionality. To meet larger power requirements, an auxiliary power supply (diesel generator or wind turbine can be coupled with a photovoltaic generator.
Industrial Telecommunications Photovoltaic Generator (system architecture)
A photovoltaic generator is based on converting the sun's rays directly into electricity. A standard generator is made up of a solar field, a metal bracket to support the modules, a charge controller and an electrochemical power storage system.
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The solar field is made up of modules connected in series and/or parallel to provide the required power at a standardized voltage. A regulator unit is connected to manage battery charging and discharging. The batteries are designed to enable autonomous operation when there is little sunshine and to provide power for night time applications. GENEWATT generators have the following features:
- Solar field power, expressed in peak Watts (Wp) @ STC, that is power measured under Standard Test Conditions: nominal sunshine of 1 kW/m 2; AM 1.5; 25°C.
- Battery set capacity, expressed in Ampere-hours (Ah) @ C120, which is the capacity over a 120 hour discharge period: final discharge voltage 1.85 V/component; 25°C.
- Operating voltage, expressed in Volts direct current (Vdc), that is standardized system voltage.
For instance, take the 48 Vdc / 3 kWp @ STC / 1,500 Ah @ C120 GENEWATT generator. This is a solar power plant providing 3,000 peak Watts solar power, with a standardized voltage of 48 Volts direct current and a storage capacity of 1,500 Ampere-hours, with a 120 hour discharge period (five days autonomous operation).
Typical applications
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 Typical applications shown above include telecomm, off-shore oil and gas, and land-based oil and gas. |