Wireless in Laisamis – Remote Cell Phone Base Stations by WinAfrique
Cross posted on Afrigadget
Coolest picture of the month! (IMO)
Photo courtesy of Bergey. Oct 26 2006 Dedication of the cell phone base station site in Laisamis, Kenya Africa.
The company WinAfrique designs and builds hybrid wind and diesel turbine systems for powering cell phone base stations, and it also offers solar solutions for off grid power generation. Kenya’s biggest wireless companies Safaricom and Celtel have contracted with WinAfrique.
In 2005 Safaricom contracted with Winafrique Technologies in Nairobi to design and supply pilot wind/diesel hybrid systems at three very remote base stations. The systems consisted of a Bergey 7.5 kW turbine on a 24 m (80 ft) SSV tower, sealed batteries, and an inverter. These sites were installed and monitored for one year. The results showed excellent reliability and diesel fuel savings of 70-95%. Based on these positive results, Safaricom has contracted for six more sites, and has many other wind/diesel sites in the planning stage.
Where is Laisamis? click here for a google earth placemark.
Be sure to check out Russell Southwood’s modest proposition – Africa: Power to the Base Stations. In it he presents the opportunity for an independent power producer to supply the energy needs of telecoms, energy hogging hotels and he did not mention this…but i am sure African telecentres of the future. Hat Tip Bankelele.
This entry was posted on Monday, July 2nd, 2007 at 10:44 am and is filed under Africa, Economics, Solar, Wind, energy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
alienmist July 4th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
I am an “extremist” i think it is time for extreme changes in the way we africans do things.
The above article is very positive and I hope to see more of this!!
Africa shall find her place in the world!!