A Lenexa, Kansas business is stepping in to help the Bahamas restore telecommunications after Hurricane Dorian ravaged the island nation in August 2019.
HCI Energy reached a deal with Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) to send four of its “Hybrid Cubes” to sites on Grand Bahama and Abaco Islands. Hurricane Dorian wiped out both the telecommunications network and the power grid in these areas. Powered by HCI Energy’s Hybrid Cube, BTC will be able to bring its network back online, a critical first step on the long road to recovery.
The Hybrid Cube delivers affordable, sustainable continuous energy to any location. The autonomous, scalable and environmentally responsible design harvests a proprietary combination of solar, wind, generator and battery energy storage technologies to deliver reliable power with enhanced cost certainty in an unpredictable fuel market, according to the company. The power generation capabilities are housed in a standard ISO shipping container that allows it to be transported to even the most remote and environmentally challenging areas worldwide, making it a valuable asset in disaster recovery.
In the Bahamas, the device helps meet the goals of the country’s recovery, which include introducing more renewable energy solutions. In addition, using the freestanding cubes saves time and minimizes costs that would otherwise be dedicated to rebuilding power, according to HCI Energy.
Once on site, the products require little civil work to be positioned and deployed, dramatically reducing time to market. Given the island nation’s geographic location and proclivity for taking direct hits from hurricanes, the devices will allow BTC to be hyperresponsive to potential future disasters by simply moving the Cubes to newly impacted areas.
“Our technology is well positioned to help individuals and communities survive and thrive in the aftermath of a natural disaster. We’re committed to helping BTC effectively use these Hybrid Cubes to restore communication service, meet basic human needs and, ultimately, speed recovery efforts to some of the hardest-hit areas in the Bahamas,” said HCI Energy founder and CEO Ray Ansari. “By closely monitoring the systems even remotely here in Kansas City, we can ensure the highest level of efficiency over time as the country’s rebuilding process unfolds.”
Four Hybrid Cubes will ship to the Bahamas this month after HCI Energy surpassed a global energy company competing to work with BTC. “For those of us living on-grid, we often take for granted our access to reliable energy. In the wake of the devastation we’ve seen firsthand in the Bahamas, it’s critical that our Hybrid Cubes are poised to make an impact beginning on day one,” said HCI Energy VP Sales and Marketing Kevin Kowalik.
Working with BTC, HCI Energy hopes to further expand its reach into the Caribbean. Carriers are increasingly looking for distributed generation and energy storage solutions to reduce costs, increase reliability and connect remote regions. This is underscored by a global telecom tower power system market valued at $1.8 billion in 2015. The telecom tower power market is anticipated to expand at 12.2 percent CAGR through 2025 as the number of mobile subscribers rises, and HCI Energy believes it’s positioned to capitalize on this market opportunity.
November 21, 2019
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