Page 152 - Applied Photovoltaics

8.4.3 Mobile phone networks
In April 2004 Telstra opened its first solar-powered mobile phone base station at
Roebuck Plains, near Broome. It provides additional mobile telephone coverage in
and around Broome and off the north-west coast of Australia. The new system is
more heat tolerant than usual, allowing the use of air conditioning to be avoided
(Fig. 8.2).

Figure 8.2. The first solar-powered mobile telephony base station in the Telstra
network, located at Roebuck plains, Western Australia, (Used with permission of
Silcar Pty Ltd. Design & Construction)

8.4.4 Optical fibre networks

Many long distance trunk networks using optical fibres are currently being installed
in Australia and around the world. Photovoltaics are used to power network repeater
stations situated away from the electricity grid. Some consideration has been given to
the use of specially designed photovoltaic devices with high conversion efficiency to
laser light, which in turn can be transmitted along optical fibres (Wenham &
Cranston, 1993).

139