Application

Diesel Generators for Telecom Sites

A telecom site is judged by one number: minutes of downtime. A cell site on a weak feeder, a transmission hub that carries the traffic of a whole province and an exchange with a data hall all need the same thing – a set that starts on the first attempt, runs unattended, and reports what it did. The machine is usually small; the reliability around it is not.

Cell sites in the Philippines are normally quoted between 20 kVA and 100 kVA in a lockable canopy, on prime power duty where the grid is unreliable. Exchanges, transmission hubs and data halls are quoted between 200 kVA and 1000 kVA on standby duty, in an N+1 group, with the DC power plant as the first load.

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Requirements

What a telecom specification has to state

Typical telecom site generator requirements. The operator’s own standard and the local code govern.
Item Typical requirement Why it changes the set
Site class Macro cell site, transmission hub, exchange or data hall Fixes the rating, the duty and how much redundancy is bought
Load to carry DC rectifiers and battery charging, air conditioning, lighting, security and monitoring The rectifier bank is a steady load that runs at close to full output for hours
Duty Prime power at off-grid and weak-grid sites; standby at exchanges A prime-rated set is built to run thousands of hours a year; a standby set is not
Autonomy 8-24 h at a cell site, 24 h or more at an exchange Decides the base tank, the bulk tank and the refuelling schedule
Starting Automatic on mains failure, and remote start on command Drives the control panel, the transfer switch and the starting battery
Telemetry Alarms to the network operations centre over the site transmission link Decides whether the controller needs SNMP, Modbus or volt-free contacts
Noise 60-70 dB(A) at 7 m, tighter at rooftop sites in residential areas Urban and rooftop sites are the ones that attract complaints and permits
Footprint Pad, plinth or rooftop, sharing the compound with the mast and the equipment cabin Decides whether the set is canopy-mounted or split with a remote radiator
Fuel security Lockable, bunded tank with a level gauge and a fill point that cannot be siphoned Fuel theft, not engine failure, is the most common cause of a site going dark
Environment Coastal salt air, humidity above 80%, ambient 35-40 °C, typhoon exposure Adds anti-condensation heaters, salt-mist treatment and cyclone-rated anchoring
Maintenance access Serviceable by one technician on a scheduled visit, with filters and belts on the shelf Remote sites are priced on the cost of the visit, not on the cost of the part

Configurations

Configurations we quote most often

Common telecom arrangements. Each rating links to its power range page.
Rating per set Typical arrangement Fits Range page
20-60 kVA / 16-48 kW One set, silent canopy, prime duty, base tank Off-grid macro cell sites and microwave repeater sites 100 kVA class
100 kVA / 80 kW One set, silent canopy, transfer switch, remote start Weak-grid cell sites and small transmission nodes 100 kVA
200-300 kVA / 160-240 kW One set in standby duty, or two in an N+1 group Transmission hubs and district exchanges 200 kVA · 300 kVA
500-1000 kVA / 400-800 kW Two or more sets in parallel, N+1 Exchanges with data halls and core network equipment 500 kVA · 1000 kVA

Reference configuration

A worked cell site example

This is the shape of a quotation for a coastal macro site in the Philippines, not a catalogue entry. The figures below are the ones that changed the build.

Worked example: coastal macro cell site, 60 Hz.
Parameter Value
Rating 60 kVA prime / 48 kW at 0.8 power factor, 1800 rpm, 60 Hz
Voltage 230 V single phase and 440/254 V three phase available
Form Silent canopy, lockable doors, 65 dB(A) at 7 m, pad mounted on a concrete plinth
Autonomy 12 h at 75% load on a 380 L bunded base tank with a lockable fill point
Control Auto start on mains failure, remote start and stop, volt-free alarm contacts to the site controller
Corrosion protection Salt-mist treated canopy and fasteners, anti-condensation heater on the alternator
Anchoring Cyclone-rated anchor bolts and a canopy rated for the wind zone of the site
Testing Load bank test at 100%, 75% and 50% before dispatch, with the test sheet issued

Questions

Questions we are asked about telecom sets

Should a cell site generator be prime rated or standby rated?

Prime rated, wherever the grid fails most days. A prime rating allows unlimited hours at a variable load, while a standby rating is meant for the duration of an outage. Sites that run the set as a daily source of power and buy a standby rating are the ones that come back with a failed alternator or a burnt exhaust valve at a few thousand hours.

How much autonomy does a telecom site need?

It follows the refuelling reach. A site that a truck can serve within a day is normally quoted at 12-24 h; a site reached by boat or a rough road is quoted at 48 h or more, or given a bulk tank. The battery bank at the site and the generator autonomy are two separate reserves and should be sized as such.

How do you keep the alarm reporting working when the site is unattended?

The controller sends its alarms over the transmission link the site already has, either through the operator’s own telemetry or as volt-free contacts wired into the site controller. Specify which one you want at the quotation stage: a panel with the wrong interface means the first alarm arrives when a technician drives past, not when the site fails.

What does humidity do to an unattended set?

It condenses on the alternator windings while the set is cold and not running, and insulation resistance falls. An anti-condensation heater with a thermostatic switch is the standard fix, and it is cheap at the factory. Coastal sites also need salt-mist treatment on the canopy, the fasteners and the radiator, or the enclosure is rusting through in three to four years.

Can a small set be paralleled for a bigger site?

Yes, and telecom operators do it where two small sets are easier to truck in than one large one. Paralleling needs the right controllers and the right switchgear, both of which change the cost more than the rating does. On a remote site the practical limit is usually the maintenance team, not the machine.

Related

Related applications and ranges

Specifying a telecom standby or prime set?

Send the site class, the rectifier and air-conditioning load, the autonomy you need and the interface to your network operations centre.

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