Bringing Solar power solution to the telecom sector of Bangladesh

Telecom operators of the high growth market of Bangladesh are facing several challenges in addressing the problem of load fluctuation and load shedding in the city areas which are already integrated in the national electricity grids. It is also facing severe difficulties in the un-tapped market of rural places which are located in the off electrical grid area. The operators need to invest a lot to maintain the uninterrupted supply of electrical power to the sites and to ensure the availability of their services. Considering the current situation of the power sector of Bangladesh, it can easily be predicted that the situation may get even worse in the coming days as the crisis of fossil fuel is building very rapidly all over the world. Under such conditions alternate power source has become a burning issue in this country. Out of the possible alternative sources, solar energy is evidenced very promising. Different technology leaders like Ericsson, Nokia, Siemens and Huawei also adopted the required solution for this type of market. This Solar powered site concept allows an operator to place their base stations with complete off grid independent energy solution. This notion will give a low total cost of ownership case, higher reliability than fossil fuel operated sites, virtually maintenance free site, free energy, and environmental friendly choices. This paper attempts to assess the probability of solar energy usage in the telecom sector of Bangladesh, its present scenario, its technical feasibility analysis and environomical analysis.