The FINANCIAL — SCHENECTADY, N.Y.—Viva-Trilogy Dominicana S.A., a Dominican Republic mobile network, has announced the completion of a backup power pilot program using a GE Durathon battery and a remote monitoring and diagnostic (RMD) system from OmniMetrix, LLC, an Acorn Energy company.
The FINANCIAL — SCHENECTADY, N.Y.—Viva-Trilogy Dominicana S.A., a Dominican Republic mobile network, has announced the completion of a backup power pilot program using a GE Durathon battery and a remote monitoring and diagnostic (RMD) system from OmniMetrix, LLC, an Acorn Energy company. The pilot resulted in an 88 percent reduction in backup power costs and diesel fuel expenses as well as a 60 percent decrease in site energy costs, according to General electric.
“The Dominican Republic is known for an unreliable grid in certain areas,” said Edgar Geidans, chief technology officer of Trilogy International Partners, Viva-Trilogy’s parent company. “Power is often lost for four to eight hours at a time, during which our diesel generators provide power to our telecommunication towers. The results of this trial have shown significant diesel savings using a leading-edge battery and controlling solution. We look forward to continuing our work and analysis with GE and OmniMetrix,” he added.
The four month-long pilot program demonstrated the value of pairing a remote monitoring and diagnostic system with GE’s Durathon Battery. The GE Durathon Battery and OmniMetrix RMD system were installed at a base transceiver station in a part of the Dominican Republic known for its frequent power outages. During these outages, the battery was able to supplement electricity typically produced by a diesel generator to power the site. The OmniMetrix RMD system provided real-time data on both the battery and the grid’s overall performance, according to General electric.
“GE’s work with Viva-Trilogy and OmniMetrix demonstrates how sites that typically rely on diesel generators for backup power at telecommunications sites can achieve significantly lower operating cost while providing reliable power,” said Prescott Logan, general manager of GE Energy Storage. “OmniMetrix’s RMD system enhances the inherent merits of GE’s battery by providing visibility to critical operating metrics.”
“The OmniMetrix RMD system quantified a pattern of utility power outages prior to the Durathon battery’s deployment,” said Joe Musanti, chief executive officer of OmniMetrix. “The data was subsequently provided to the engineering teams responsible for determining the optimal settings for the Durathon battery management system. This total system led to the savings realized by Viva-Trilogy,” he added.
GE’s Durathon battery is based on a sodium-nickel energy storage technology that currently is being used in various applications in the telecommunications, utility and data storage industries. GE hails the battery as a breakthrough due to its energy density, low toxicity and temperature independence.
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