ANALYSIS OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC UTILIZATION FOR TELECOM BASE STATION ENERGY SERVICES IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Most of the recent growth in cellular networks has been in developing countries, where the unavailability of reliable electricity grids forces operators to use other energy sources like diesel generators for power, which not only increases operating costs but also contributes to environmental pollution. This study explored solar PV utilization for telecom base station energy services in Lagos State, Nigeria. Primary and secondary method of data collection were adopted for the study, Model for Analysis of Demand for Energy (MADE II) was carried out on 95 IHS Towers Nigeria solar PV sites. IHS Towers Nigeria is a multinational company and the leading telecom passive infrastructure provider in Nigeria. The solar sites represent 4.2% of the total IHS sites (2,267) in Lagos state, a figure representing 14.17% of the total IHS live sites in Nigeria. Questionnaire was used to obtain primary information on motivating factor and policies frame work for solar PV utilization. From a population of 105 formed from the staff strength of the three major IHS solar sites contractors. Secondary data from IHS Towers Remote Monitoring System showing operation hours of different energy sources in the 95-base stations for the year 2018 was analyzed to assess the current contribution of solar PV in the energy mix of the 95 connected and functioning solar sites considered for the study. The result of the MADE II shows that the average load of a BTS is 12984.01Watts and the total load of the whole 95 solar sites considered for the study is 1,233,481Watts with the least being 6275Watts. MADE II result also revealed that the average power consumption of Power Amplifier is 7162.1052Watts with the highest being 10,800Watts and the least being 3,600Watts. This means that out of 1,233,481Watts, power amplifier consumes 680,400Watts. This shows that power amplifier consumes around 55.2% of the total energy while the rest energy (44.8%) is used by other component in the base station. The study revealed that SB (Solar and Battery) operated for 276,674.76 hours, Hybrid (H) for 211,386.51 hours, Solar (S) only for 175,280.51 hours and Diesel Generator (DG) for 126,228.66 hours, this shows that the average comprehensive solar percentage in the total energy mix of the solar sites for the period of 12 months (Year 2018) is 57.2 %. The fuel saved as a result of solar PV intervention is 1,581,765.52 million Liters which mean ₦359,487,849.73 was the cost saved on IHS solar sites in Lagos State for the year 2018. The result on motivating factors for solar PV utilization shows that Greener energy (4.29) and resistance to disaster (3.29) ranked the 1st and 6th motivating factors promoting PV utilization in telecom base stations in Lagos state respectively. The result of the best policy option for the optimal contribution of solar PV to the telecom base station energy service in Lagos State as perceived by the respondent shows that Feed-in-tariff (2.58) and net metering (2.58) ranked the 1st while Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (2.08) ranked the 8th policies for solar PV utilization in Lagos State Nigeria Finally, the study revealed that the carbon dioxide (CO2) saved as a result of solar PV intervention to be 4,238,826.86 kg or 4238.83 Tons. It is recommended that all the passive infrastructure services providers through their service association should adopt a voluntary code of practice encompassing energy efficient technologies and adoption of Renewable Energy Technology (RET) to address the unavailability of reliable electricity, huge expenditure on diesel and climate change issues.