Reliability and Economic Assessment of Integrated Distributed Hybrid Generation and Battery Storage for Base Transceiver Stations in Intermittent Utility Grids

Reliable telecommunication tower operation is paramount for sustainable cities as it ensures uninterrupted communication, supports economic growth, facilitates smart city applications, and enables emergency response. This study evaluates the reliability and economic aspects of three hybrid system configurations aimed at providing an uninterrupted power supply to base transceiver stations (BTS) during power outages. A framework is developed to optimize power operation and assess the operational costs of these configurations. A case study is conducted to examine the effectiveness of the optimization framework. The study evaluates the system size and costs of solar PV, hydrogen fuel cell, and battery energy storage systems. The results demonstrate that system architecture combining a utility grid with battery energy storage and solar PV offers the most cost-effective option. The system architecture, incorporating a utility grid with battery energy storage and hydrogen fuel cells, provides the highest reliability. Per-day operating cost of the solar PV-based architecture is 40.3% lower than that of the architecture with a hydrogen fuel cell system and 35.8% lower than the system architecture of utility grid and battery storage. This study contributes to the integration of renewable power sources and optimization framework, enhancing energy supply and promoting society’s long-term well-being.