Battery-free continous power system for distributed telecom power plants

Lead-acid batteries long have been the standard choice for back-up power in distributed telecom applications, yet in many cases batteries can cause major problems for network operators, including reliability limitations, high maintenance requirements and the need for frequent replacement, especially in high temperature environments. Additionally, to provide more than a few hours of protection, extra strings and/or application of a separate engine-generator are required. This paper describes a unique system for applying the long-life, high-reliability and low maintenance benefits of kinetic and thermal energy storage integrated with fuel conversion for seamless long-term emergency power delivery. This system was designed for application to new and existing distributed communication power plants that benefit from greater than 4 hours of back-up protection. The device employs a constantly spinning closed cycle high inertia turbine to assure uninterrupted power in the event of a utility power disruption. The design of the initial 6 kW continuous power system is presented and the advantages and disadvantages of alternate power protection methods are discussed.