Major UK wireless carriers are reducing power consumption and operating expenses by adopting Eltek Valere's high-efficiency power systems, which provide 96% power conversion efficiency. Trials conducted showed an average power consumption reduction of 3.84% per site, resulting in annual savings of approximately £82 per site. This approach not only leads to cost savings but also supports environmental goals by lowering CO2 emissions.

1.
Major UK Wireless Carriers Reduce Power Consumption and Operating
Expense with High Efficiency Power Systems from Eltek Valere
An Eltek Valere Case Study
Many carriers are realizing increasing power consumption and costs as they
move to new content- and data-oriented services and expand their wireless
networks to include 3G and 4G technologies. Managing this power consumption
is a critical initiative for these carriers to stay cost competitive. Increasingly,
carriers are evaluating power system technology as a key part of their efforts
toward making a significant impact on power consumption, because
approximately 80% of the power consumed by a telecommunications carrier
passes through these devices.
The issue with these systems is power conversion efficiency, which is a measure
of the amount of power that is lost (as heat) during the conversion from AC mains
power to the 48V DC that is needed by the load. In recent years, that power
efficiency has been at between 90% and 92% resulting in power losses of up to
10%.
Recognizing the impact that power systems can have on power consumption,
Eltek Valere has pioneered the market for high efficiency (HE) power systems
that offer 96% power conversion efficiency. These systems cut wasted power by
50% compared to competitive systems.
These systems are now being trialed and adopted by carriers across the world
with great results. In the UK, two wireless carriers have trialed the Flatpack2 HE
system recently and have decided to move forward with deployment based on
those successful evaluations. This case study reports the results of one of those
trials.
TEST SET UP
In this evaluation, a major UK mobile carrier set up a trial on three mobile sites.
At each of these sites, the carrier had an Eltek Valere Flatpack2 power system,
with three standard rectifiers featuring 92% efficiency. For a week, they replaced
the rectifiers in those systems with Flatpack2 High Efficiency rectifiers and
measured the reduction in power consumption. While the average power levels
and consumption patterns varied, in all of the sites, the power consumption was
typical of a base station, with a load of about 2kW that was shared between the
three rectifiers.
www.eltekvalere.com
AN ELTEK VALERE CASE STUDY

2. Reduce Power Consumption and Operating Expense with High Efficiency Power Systems from Eltek Valere
TEST DATA
The tests measured how much power had to be drawn from the mains to power
the load and then measured the actual costs savings per annum resulting from
the higher efficiency rectifiers.
In one base station, the average power consumption before the HE rectifiers
were installed was 2.03396 kWh; but after the HE system was installed that
average dropped to 1.905606 kWh. The resulting 4.88% power decrease
(0.9779 kWh) resulted in a cost savings of £107.08 (€119.95) per annum.
At the second base station, the average power level was higher, at 2.24713 kWh
with the standard rectifiers. The move to the HE rectifiers brought power
consumption down to 2.188096 kWh, a power savings of 2.63% (0.059034 kWh)
that resulted in a cost savings of £64.64 (€72.41)
At the third base station, average power consumption with the standard rectifiers
was 1.677525 kWh - significantly lower than in the other two base stations.
However, the demand spikes were much higher than in the other examples,
rising from about 1.5 kWh to more than 2.25 kWh on a consistent basis. When
the HE technology was introduced to this site, power consumption decreased to
1.610024 kWh on average for a 4.02% power savings (0.067501 kWh) and a
£73.91 (€82.79) annual cost savings.
Overall, the carrier was quite pleased by the results. On average, they saw a
3.84% reduction in power consumption with an average savings of £82 (€91.85)
per site per year.
FLATPACK2 HE
Flatpack2 HE power systems are based on the hot-plug, digital switched-mode
Flatpack2 HE rectifier that operates on a wide range of input voltages (85 to
290VAC) and outputs 2000W at 48V DC or 24V DC. A 19” power shelf holds up
to four Flatpack2 HE rectifiers and mounts in either 19” or 23”
telecommunications racks. System control is provided by Eltek Valere’s
Smartpack controller, which delivers powerful, cost-effective control and
monitoring via a simple front display and sophisticated computer interface. The
controller delivers comprehensive information and in-depth system management.
Flatpack2 HE system distribution bays features both breaker and bulk output
landings and have low-voltage disconnect (LVD) options. A unique three-bus
breaker panel provides a convenient manner in which to power equipment from
up to three different voltage types (e.g., converter output) or arrange distribution
to load equipment and batteries in a variety of ways.
www.eltekvalere.com
AN ELTEK VALERE CASE STUDY

3. Reduce Power Consumption and Operating Expense with High Efficiency Power Systems from Eltek Valere
Carrier power consumption is increasing and must be managed appropriately.
Moving to Eltek Valere Flatpack2 HE power systems can make a dramatic
difference saving up to 5% of the power needed for network systems and
resulting in cost savings of £100’s per base station. These savings are
significant on their own, but when multiplied across an entire wireless network,
they become a compelling way for carriers to ensure they have the power they
need to deliver the next-generation services to satisfy their customers and
reduce Co2 for the environment.
Eltek Valere – Drammen, Norway – February 2010
www.eltekvalere.com
Headquarters:
Eltek Valere
Gråterudveien 8, 3036 Drammen
Phone: +47 32 20 32 00
Fax: +47 32 20 32 10