Vodacom has installed solar and wind power operated base stations in a farming community in the Western Cape, marking the first time this technology is being used on the African continent.
Situated between two mountains, the Vleiland Valley community has always battled to receive network coverage, but the new base stations will bring reliable cellphone reception to those living in the area.
In the past, most farmers relied on satellite phones to communicate, which can be costly. Two hybrid-type sites able to address the challenging mountain range conditions were designed to tackle this problem.
The installation will not only allow the farming community to communicate and improve productivity, but the network can also be used to automate pumps and regulate dam levels and irrigation systems, allowing for more effective farming. The 2G and 3G coverage generated by these base stations is expected to sustainably grow farming businesses in the Vleiland area.
“Our commitment is to ensure that most South Africans have access to cellphone technology and also to ensure that our operation is built on sound principles of sustainability,” says Andries Delport, CTO at Vodacom.
Bringing network coverage to Vleiland Valley has been in the pipeline since 2006, but until recently, there was no technology that could address the community's unique needs. “There was not only the problem of the mountain range, but the community is very small, so we needed to find a solution that was cost-efficient,” says Delport.
The green technology for these sites was supplied by Terzobix, a small company based in Cape Town that designs and manufactures all-in-one renewable and hybrid power systems.
As the sites have to operate without access to grid electricity, the base stations utilise solar tracking and wind power technology. The solar tracking system runs on a program that operates using international GPS co-ordinates to align the panels with the sun's movements.
For Delport, the benefits of solar tracking are vast. “The planning and design time is drastically reduced, as solar tracking needs very little upfront array placement studies, which also further reduces costs. The size of the panel is about 34% smaller than a conventional solar panel as less surface area is required to reach maximum power,” he says.
The addition of wind generation to hybrid sites improves capacity in adverse weather conditions.
“The solution for Vleiland Valley has been a fantastic breakthrough, as we can now deploy the same type of base stations in other areas that require innovative, off-grid, low-cost base stations,” says Delport. The two identical base stations can be adapted should future expansion be needed at a later stage.
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