Techno-economic optimization of sustainable power for telecommunications facilities using a systems approach

Telecommunications network operators face the dual challenges of powering remote equipment while controlling both operating costs and energy consumption. As a means to help meet these challenges, this paper describes the functionality and performance of an Alternative Power Analyzer tool specially made for remote base station applications which models the outputs of renewably generated power based on location and user inputs. It combines these results with economic inputs to produce a business plan for the implementation of the preferred system. An important factor affecting economic viability is the various incentives for sustainable power generation. These can vary greatly by value, duration, equipment eligibility, location, and other constraints. To manage these complex datasets, a dynamic ontological information framework has been developed which is designed to iteratively interface with the APA tool. The outputs of the work indicate that a techno-economic systems approach can be applied both to assess the viability of location-specific system configurations under current incentives frameworks and to inform policy makers in terms of future incentives optimization.