Prototype Solar Powering System with Hydrogen Fuel Cell Integration for Cable Business Services

The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE), working together with Alpha Technologies Inc. and CommScope Inc., last night unveiled a prototype powering system for hardened cable business services that leverages environmentally friendly technologies for continued availability during lengthy power interruptions.

At SCTE’s headquarters here, an expanded clean energy solution has been installed that integrates solar and fuel-cell technology to provide an average of five to seven days—or more given hydrogen replenishment—of power for critical systems. Designed to enable SCTE to maintain constituent services during adverse circumstances, the system also will help to build cable’s overall knowledge base around the backup powering that is key to business services success.

Aligned with SCTE’s Smart Energy Management Initiative (SEMI) objectives, the 19.7–kilowatts (kW) hybrid power system combines a newly installed 8-kW hydrogen fuel cell solution from CommScope with a 2.8-kW grid interactive solar array and 20-hour runtime storage batteries installed by Alpha. Intelligent controls from Alpha and OutBack Power, an Alpha Technologies company, optimize the generation and storage capabilities of all sources when public utility power is unavailable.

“The success of cable’s business services initiatives is dependent in large measure on the industry’s ability to provide voice, video and—most importantly—data services without interruption,” said Mark Dzuban, president and CEO of SCTE. “The field research we are conducting with CommScope and Alpha will help the industry create the solutions, standards, skills and certifications needed to chart a course toward such key objectives as optimized power efficiency and ZERO power unavailability.”

“While cable has increased its share of the Tier 2 and Tier 3 business markets, the greatest growth potential exists with Tier 1 business services customers,” said Jim Hughes, senior vice president, Broadband Sales, CommScope. “Working together with SCTE and Alpha, we’re creating deployment models that will help operators deliver the high-performance, high-reliability services that large corporations, particularly those with multiple locations, demand.”

“The Grid Interactive AC UPS Inverter System receives inputs from a variety of reserve power DC sources including the hydrogen fuel-cell solution, the solar array providing additional backup availability during daylight hours, and the redundant 170 ah 48 VDC battery strings,” said Jim Heidenreich, vice president, product management and customer fulfillment for Alpha Technologies. “Ultimately, we believe that our work with CommScope and SCTE will drive the development of even more advanced power management and power availability solutions that can help the industry capitalize on the business services market.”

In the SCTE system, the fuel cell, solar array and batteries are integrated into a grid interactive power system. The Alpha Power System includes both a charge controller and inverter to balance the power delivered to the batteries. When the grid is down, fluctuations in voltage will be measured to maintain the power necessary for SCTE’s critical IT needs. When combined with an 11.28 kW array installed by Alpha last year, SCTE is capable of generating an estimated 23,333 kW hours of solar power.

CommScope’s hydrogen fuel-cell solution uses hydrogen-powered fuel cells to provide an environmentally friendly DC backup power solution for cable network headends and hub equipment. Unlike diesel generators, the only by-products of hydrogen fuel cells are heat and water. The proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cells are housed inside a secure weather-resistant cabinet for outdoor deployment, and offer a smaller footprint and more dense power backup than what is on the market today.

Alpha Technologies installed SCTE’s 48-panel solar array in 2010 to provide power to SCTE’s IT and communications infrastructure. The roof-mounted photovoltaic system is capable of generating upwards of 13,300-kW hours annually, which is roughly the equivalent of 23,866 lbs of CO2 offset annually.

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