Designed to provide cost-effective power for off-grid and poor-grid telecom base stations, the GenCell A5 fuel cell solution overcomes the high-costs of powering rural telecoms. When compared with conventional diesel generator solutions over a 10-year period, the GenCell A5 solution can reduce OPEX costs of Tower Management Companies (Towercos) and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) by up to $250 million across 1,000 towers (based on current global average price of diesel and ammonia, with the GenCell A5 providing 24x7 off-grid power at 1,000 towers). The GenCell A5 creates hydrogen-on-demand from ammonia, the world’s second most-produced inorganic chemical. More than 200 million tons of ammonia is produced each year and distributed globally via pipelines, tankers and trucks, making it readily available and inexpensive. By creating hydrogen-on-demand from ammonia, the GenCell A5 provides clean fuel cell power at a lower cost than diesel generators . “In Q1/2018, we surveyed 55 MNOs and Towercos about their plans for powering base stations,” said Caroline Gabriel, Research Director and Co-Founder, Rethink Technology Research. “We found that the most important drivers for investing in a new power technology are to reduce fuel costs and operating costs. “Ammonia fuel cell solutions, such as the GenCell A5, offer all the benefits of hydrogen fuel cells while reducing the fuel cell OPEX costs by at least 25 percent. Our study shows that this can accelerate operator investment and significantly impact the operator business model for off-grid communications, while contributing to government programs for universal connectivity and Internet services.” The company states the GenCell A5 off-grid power solution requires minimal maintenance. The proprietary GenCell IoT Remote Manager enables remote diagnostics and monitoring of each fuel cell device, reducing the frequency and costs of onsite engineer visits. Commercial delivery of the GenCell A5 is expected in the second quarter of 2019.
The GenCell A5 fuel cell uses ammonia, which is abundant and inexpensive, to create hydrogen and produce power, making it an affordable source of clean off-grid electricity. It is intended to be used in telecommunications base stations, and could save up to $250 million in 1,000 telecommunications towers over 10 years, depending on the price of ammonia and oil. Commercial delivery is planned for Q2 2019.