Hybrid power station installed in remote location

AEG Power Solutions’ (AEGPS) New Caledonian ecopx hybrid power station is now fully operational. The complete integrated solution was part of a contract signed with OPT (Office des Postes &Telecommunications) in New Caledonia last year. It combines solar and wind energy with batteries and a genset as emergency back-up. The integrated hybrid system manages the network site power from end to end, providing operating cost reductions, security, reliability and a carbon footprint improvement.

OPT is the local New Caledonia operator which is owned by the local government. In 2010, AEGPS was awarded a contract including DC systems and UPS, the maintenance of several of the operator’s sites, and a new power solution for OPT’s remote wireless station of Cap Sommet, on a mountain near Bourail on the east coast.

As the former installation was powered by two diesel gensets, the operating costs were high due, in part, to the complexity of the maintenance, as the site is only accessible via a cart track or helicopter. To decrease costs and improve the carbon footprint of the installation, the operator was looking for a solution based on renewable energy resources.

AEG Power Solutions’ ecopx Hybrid power solution was a suitable match for this challenge. It combines renewable solar and wind energy with battery storage and, when required, a stand-by diesel generator. It manages the network site power from end to end, from energy generation to energy storage, including load surveillance and remote supervision.

For OPT, the ecopx system installed is a large one. The energy sources comprise a group of solar panels, capable of generating up to 11 kW, and a 5 kW wind turbine, as well as two sets of batteries of 3000 Ah. One diesel genset has been kept as a back-up and is started automatically on demand by the system.