Australian telecom service provider Telstra has deployed hydrogen fuel cells as the backup to several of its towers as part of a $740,000 government-funded pilot project, according to pv magazine. The 10 kW (AC) hydrogen fuel cell generators were designed and manufactured by Energys in Mulgrave, Victoria. Hydrogen has been touted for years as a green alternative to diesel for backup batteries.
“This Hydrogen Fuel Cell Pilot at five mobile base stations in Victoria will provide us with valuable data and experience of this emerging technology and how it may help to power telecommunications into the future,” Telstra Group’s Executive for Global Networks and Technology, Nikos Katinakis, said.
Latham, NY-based Plug Power, which builds an end-to-end green hydrogen production ecosystem, is part of the pilot project. For hydrogen fuel cells to be effective in backing up cell towers, hydrogen must be produced and distributed to the sites in a safe and economical fashion, a service which Plug Power provides.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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