Hybrid power systems for GSM and 4G base stations in South Africa

This paper aims to address the use of hybrid renewable energy sources to supply power to the base station, hence to enhance the minimum Operational Expenditure (OPEX) and alleviate the effect of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) which are detrimental to the environment and human health at large. Using Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable (HOMER) software for simulation and optimization, we discovered that we can reduce the carbon emission by over 87.47%, and the total fossil fuel consumption by over 10,400 litres annually. Hence, it is safe to conclude that the existing (diesel-only) system for powering the Base Station (BS) though, has the least initial capital cost, in the end, it has the highest Net Present Cost (NPC) and cost of energy per kilowatt over the life span of the BS.