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UN gives the nod to African alternative energy solution for mobile networks


Johannesburg, 12 Oct 2021
Magnus Coetzee, Executive: Infrastructure Solutions at NEC XON.
Magnus Coetzee, Executive: Infrastructure Solutions at NEC XON.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has recognised South African NEC XON’s alternative energy Hybrid Storage Solution (HSS) as an innovative technology for promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth. 

NEC XON’s HSS uses advanced control and monitoring, integrated with the latest Polarium lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technologies to reduce life cycle costing and improve quality of service for better profit margins for telecoms operators.

“Our hybrid system, which has been used in several African countries since 2018, can be used in combination with power grids, even where the grid is unstable with frequent outages,” says Magnus Coetzee, Executive: Infrastructure Solutions at NEC XON. “It’s an outdoor cabinet solution with anti-theft and remote monitoring and control, that cuts diesel consumption by up to 80% and diesel run-time by up to 90% in live use. That’s a huge financial benefit and also has enormously positive effects on CO emissions for both the generators and the truck roll for vehicles usually sent to refuel traditional generator set-ups.”

When grid power fails, the system automatically switches to storage batteries and only starts up the generator if the storage batteries are depleted.

NEC XON’s outdoor HSS is used in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia and  the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was approved by the UNIDO Sustainable Technology Promotion Platform evaluation committee. It specifically serves the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 and SDG 9.

Most mobile carrier base stations are at off-grid locations, which makes reliability a challenge. Mobile carrier networks have typically used diesel generators to augment unreliable grid power or where no power is available. However, theft of the fuel and the generators, the cost to run and maintain them, and the logistics of reaching them are significant and costly challenges.

“Cellphones are indispensable to daily life in rural Africa and one of the primary sources of social and economic transformation for individual people and entire communities,” says Coetzee. “People rely on cellphones for money transfers and payments, medical services, education, work, entertainment and much more. Without stable power, the network drops, which makes it exceptionally difficult for people to learn, work, be safe and healthy, all of which reduces prosperity,” says Coetzee.

According to The World Bank, 21 of the 25 least-connected countries are in Africa, but the continent has among the fastest growing internet growths worldwide. ITU research cited by The World Bank shows that 10% more mobile broadband penetration in Africa improves per capita GDP by 2.5%.

“ICT offers significant opportunity to improve people’s lives,” says Coetzee. “For more than 650 million rural Africans, access to dependable energy for reliable communications is the first critical step to real transformation.”

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* Article first published on itweb.africa

NEC XON

NEC XON is the combination of XON, a Systems Integrator providing custom ICT and security services and solutions in Southern Africa since 1996, and NEC Africa, the African business of the global technology giant NEC Corporation. NEC Corporation implemented its first communication solution in Africa in 1963 and established NEC Africa in 2011 to grow its business ICT and public safety.

Kapela Capital (Pty) Ltd, XON’s B-BBEE partner since 2010, continues as NEC XON’s B-BBEE partner in South Africa, with Israel Skosana as chairman of the board of directors of NEC XON. NEC XON is a Level 1 B-BBEE contributor.

NEC generates global revenues in excess of $30 billion by orchestrating a brighter world for public entities, enterprises, telecoms carriers, and providing system platforms for businesses.

The combined NEC Africa and XON (NEC XON) operations seek to more fully explore the opportunities for safe city, energy, cyber security, telecommunication solutions, retail, managed services, cyber defence services and cloud (both public and private), among others in sub-Sahara Africa.

NEC XON maintains its head offices in Gauteng, South Africa with a footprint that covers all nine provinces in South Africa and 16 countries in sub-Sahara Africa.