Back-up Webinar presentation 5-2013

Hurricane Sandy and Commercially Tested Fuel Cell Backup Power SolutionsWEBINAR

Sponsored by

May 15, 2013

Hosted byEric Denhoff, CEO

Housekeeping Items

•Recording of Slides: A recording of this webinar and a link to the slides will

be sent via email to all attendees following the event

•Submit Questions During the Webinar: Use the question box on your screen

•Additional Questions After the Webinar: [email protected]

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Agenda

•Backup Power: A Core Component of Network Resilience• Kyla Reid, Head of the GSMA Disaster Response

Programme

•Telecom Backup Power: Hurricane Sandy Case Study• Lennox McCartney, President of Precision Power and

Air Bahamas

•Q & A

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Back-up Power: A Core Component of Network Resilience

Restricted - Confidential Information © GSMA 2013

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Role of the GSMA

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WE ARE THE GLOBAL INDUSTRY VOICE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF MOBILE

INDUSTRY FORUM

Enabling industry collaboration and consensus

POLICY ADVOCATEPromoting policies that foster growth

and investment

MARKET THINK TANKDelivering insight and analysis from global

industry data

BUSINESS CATALYSTServing the global mobile ecosystem

through events such as Mobile World

Congress


The Disaster Response ProgrammeSupporting the mobile industry in improving preparedness and response in crisis to ensure that life saving communications are as robust as possible

Areas of Focus:•Technical: infrastructure preparedness, technical resilience and restoration strategies, disaster-appropriate solutions•Coordination: improved coordination within the industry and between MNOs and humanitarian and emergency response stakeholders •Regulatory: Prioritising mobile as basic emergency infrastructure and supporting an enabling regulatory environment

Research and knowledge Sharing:Case Studies capturing industry lessons and best practicesSeminar Series – knowledge transfer and expert guidance on disaster-specific risks, challenges and solutionsEngagement guidelines and educational seminars for the mobile industry and its partnersPrimary research

Advocacy


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Natural Disasters 2012: 231 disasters, more than 87 million affected

Sri Lanka: over 300,000 affected by flooding and landslides in December

Nigeria: Flooding displaces over two

million

Hurricane Sandy economic toll ~$50

billion

Natural Disasters Cost Latin America

~$2Billion /year

Typhoon Bopha: 6.2 million people affected,

~230,000 homes destroyed


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MOBILE HAS BECOME A

BASIC HUMANITARIAN NEED IN ITS OWN RIGHT


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Back up Power for Network Resilience:

•Back-up power is a multi-dimensional challenge for mobile networks in disasters, however it also needs to be viewed as a priority for improving resilience

Challenges Include:•Interdependency with commercial power•Flooding/damaged equipment•Generator placement & access•Back-up fuel positioning/availability, logistics and transport, distribution•Establishing the appropriate level of autonomy and redundancy•Identifying the most appropriate sources of back-up power•Broader preparedness/education/awareness


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Power failure as a key contributor to communication failure:

•85% of communication breakdown during the Japanese triple disaster attributed to power outages

•In Haiti, approx. 16% of BTS impacted by the earthquake; over a day later, ~86% impacted due to power failures

•Regulatory pressure increasing in LatAm region to ensure sufficient backup power available to support 24 hour autonomy of BTS

•Coordination challenges with commercial power providers, flooding and access significantly contributed to communications challenges during Hurricane Sandy

•FCC Post-Sandy Field Hearings also highlighted the challenges presented by power failure, including licensing issues, security andtransport of fuel


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When you restore the mobile network, you rebuild the human network


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Telecom Backup Power: Hurricane Sandy Case Study

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Precision Power and Air (Caribbean)•Established in 2000 in Trinidad & Tobago

•Focus on providing power protection and power continuity solutions

•Working with major telecom operators across the Caribbean – Digicel, LIME

•Precision Power and Air (Bahamas) established in 2011

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Bahamas

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Bahamas

• Population 347,176 • Challenging geography

Spread across 700 islands Many remote locations

• Hot, tropical climate• Susceptible to tropical storms and

hurricanes• Regular grid outages• Major Telecom Operator

Bahamas Telecommunication Company (BTC)

© Bahamas Government

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Bahamas Telecommunications Company•Sole mobile telecom operator in the Bahamas

Over 300,000 connections Almost 90% penetration

•Current mobile network includes 240 base stations on 17 islands

•Remote servicing required for majority of base station locations

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Challenges with Incumbent Backup Power Solutions

Batteries Diesel Generators

• Require large installations for longer durations Large, heavy footprint Relatively expensive

• Lifetime reduced in hot climate More frequent replacement

• Maintenance needs challenging with remote locations

• Reliability concerns• Require frequent maintenance

Challenge with remote locations

• Issues with diesel pilferage• Noise and emissions an issue in

central locations

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Fuel Cell Generator Solution

• Benefits: Reliable, extended duration runtime

(autonomous) Performs well in tropical climate Ease of refueling

Methanol water solution (HydroPlus™) Easily portable

Eliminates diesel pilferage issues Minimal maintenance Cost effective

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• BTC selected Ballard Power Systems’ 5kW ElectraGen™- ME (methanol-fuelled) fuel cell system

ElectraGen™- ME system installed

Delivering HydroPlus™ fuel

Fuel Cell Generator Deployment

New Providence

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Fuel Cell Generator Deployment cont.

Great Abaco and Grand Bahama

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Operational Experience - Typical•Average site runtime of 4 – 5 hours per month

Some sites could run 20 hours Some sites could run for 4 hours in a day All due to unplanned commercial power loss

•Quarterly site visits for routine maintenance

•Quarterly fuel top up

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Hurricane Sandy

•Hurricane Sandy hit the Bahamas on October 25, 2012 Sustained winds up to 80 mph 6 – 12 inches of rainfall Storm surge 5 – 8 feet above normal ocean levels

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The Impact

•Resulted in over 70 deaths in the Caribbean 2 in the Bahamas

•Flooding across the islands•Damage to buildings, roads,

docks and the airport•Damage to grid and base

station electrical infrastructure caused power failures in excess of 5 days in some areas

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Run Time During Hurricane Sandy

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Each fuel cell backup power system that was needed performed 100% reliably

ElectraGen™- ME Hurricane “Sandy”

System Locations October 25th – 31th

(Hours) Abaco 132.15Nassau 118.33Abaco 94.96Nassau 81.34Grand Bahama 61.4Grand Bahama 46.4Nassau 45.11Grand Bahama 34.69Nassau 15.55Nassau 14.81Nassau 14.43Nassau 13.61Nassau 13.51Nassau 8.1Nassau 7.58Nassau 6.47Nassau 0.09Nassau 0Nassau 0Nassau 0Nassau 0

Total Hours 708.53

Operational Experience - Hurricane Sandy• 700 hours run time (total) • Range from 0 to 132 hours per site• Advanced deployment of fuel to remote islands and locations• Top up refueling prior to estimated arrival of storm • 7 out of 21 systems required re-fuelling before commercial power restored• Typical run-times of 3 days before refueling required • Some locations were not accessible after storm due to flooding and road and

airport closures• A few locations remained running after commercial power restored generally

due to physical damage of commercial power infrastructure at local site• All sites monitored via GSM and GPRS communications

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Summary

• Fuel cell systems operated automatically and reliably as power was needed

• 17 systems provided over 700 hours of backup power over a 7 day period during and after the storm

• Produced more than 1,200 kilowatt-hours of electricity

• Prevented a potential 50% loss of cell service according to BTC

• Following their Hurricane Sandy experience, BTC is installing an additional 16 fuel cell backup power systems

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Q & A

Hosted by

Eric Denhoff - ModeratorCEO of Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association

Kyla ReidHead of GSMA Disaster Response Programme

Lennox McCartneyPresident, Precision Power and Air Bahamas

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Back-up Webinar presentation 5-2013