A macro-cell tower site in a remote high-desert region replaced continuous diesel operation with a BeSafe D20 lithium battery bank backed by an 80 kW PV array. Diesel runtime dropped 71%, generator maintenance intervals tripled, and tower availability exceeded the carrier's 99.95% SLA target.
The tower provides 4G LTE coverage to a 35 km radius of sparsely populated high-desert terrain. The site includes the tower itself, an equipment shelter, and a 12 kW continuous load (radio units, microwave backhaul, shelter HVAC, security, and lighting). It is one of 240 similar sites operated by a regional carrier, most of which still rely entirely on diesel.
Before the upgrade, the site ran a single 30 kVA diesel generator 24/7, consuming approximately 110 L of diesel per day. Diesel was trucked in over a 180 km unpaved road — a round trip that took a full day and was frequently blocked by weather. Maintenance was performed monthly (oil change, filter swap, valve clearance check), and the generator itself had a Mean Time Between Overhaul of only 8,000 hours — a consequence of running at low load most of the time.
Three options were evaluated: (a) add a second diesel generator for redundancy, (b) connect to the regional grid (47 km away — prohibitive cost), (c) build a solar + battery hybrid. The carrier selected the hybrid solution for one primary reason: the existing single-generator architecture was the largest single point of failure in the network. Adding a second diesel did not address the underlying risk profile; reducing diesel dependency did.
BeSafe was selected for the battery system because the D-series module is purpose-built for 48V DC telecom applications, supports CAN/RS485 integration with the site's existing rectifier, and is wall-mountable — a critical feature for sites where the equipment shelter cannot accommodate floor-standing cabinets.
| Component | Specification | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| PV Modules | 550 W bifacial mono | 146 panels |
| Total PV Capacity | 80 kWp DC | — |
| PV Mounting | Ground-mount fixed-tilt, 30° tilt | — |
| Hybrid Inverter | BeSafe G6 hybrid inverter (6 kW, 48V) | 1 unit |
| Battery Modules | BeSafe D20 (20 kWh / 18.8 kW each) | 6 modules (120 kWh total) |
| Existing Diesel | 30 kVA, retained as backup | 1 unit |
| DC Bus | 48 VDC (standard telecom) | — |
| Generator Auto-Start | BeSafe ATS module with dry-contact output | 1 unit |
| Remote Monitoring | BeSafe Cloud + carrier NMS integration (SNMP) | 1 subscription |
The site load is relatively constant at 12 kW (24×7). The BeSafe EMS coordinates the solar, battery, and diesel sources according to battery state of charge and PV availability:
The project paid back in 4.2 years, faster than the 5-year model — driven by the diesel price increase. Most importantly for the carrier's operations team, the monthly maintenance visit was eliminated. The diesel generator, which was previously overhauled at 8,000 hours, is now projected to reach 25,000+ hours before its next major service — a 3x extension of overhaul interval. The carrier has since approved a rollout of 40 similar sites over the next 18 months, using the same BeSafe D20 + G6 architecture.
Send us your site load and existing generation setup. We'll design a D-series hybrid configuration and project economics.
Request Site Assessment Email WhatsApp WhatsApp