The potential of hydrogen backup energy solutions for telecommunication towers in rural Colombia : A Field Study in Lenguazaque

Sammanfattning

Towards a development for a green transition and lower emissions, hydrogen is looked upon with great potential and the sector is in constant development. In the light of hydrogen, this thesis addresses the issue of backup power systems for telecommunication towers in rural Colombia through a field study in Lenguazaque. Today, many of the towers uses diesel generator systems as backup power in case on a power failure. The aim of this thesis is to propose a system design for a hydrogen backup system with the ability of substituting the diesel based ones. Furthermore, this thesis aims to investigates the potential of both centrally and locally produced hydrogen and map out the conditions and possible barriers. Lastly, this thesis will provide a sustainability analysis of a hydrogen and diesel system during operation. The proposed system design can be divided into two: one for centralised production of hydrogen and one for local production. The system with centralised production consists of a hydrogen storage, a fuel cell, an uninterruptible power supply, along with a management system and safety system. The system with local production of hydrogen will, in addition to the components for centralised production, consist of a renewable energy source, an electrolyser, a compressor and a water supply system. This thesis concludes that one of the biggest barriers for development of hydrogen backup systems in rural Colombia is the lack of commercially availability hydrogen, for centralised production. For local production of hydrogen, the investment costs are the greatest obstacle. Regardless of system design, a hydrogen system will require maintenance and visits to the site, which is complicated by the difficulty of accessingthe telecommunication towers in rural areas. The system with locally produced hydrogen is requires more frequent maintenance, while the system with centralised hydrogen producent depend on regular transport of hydrogen.