An Analysis of 380 V DC Topologies for Mobile Telecom Applications

The mobile telecom industry is expected to undergo substantial growth in the next five years. Cell towers represent close to 80% of the power consumption of a mobile network operator. In developing countries, most sites run on diesel due to a weak or non-existing power grid. Growing concern regarding CO2 emissions, and increasing copper costs over the past 15 years make the efficiency of cell sites with respect to energy and materials an interesting issue to explore. \ud Similar concerns have led the datacenter industry to adopt a more energy efficient topology through the use of 380 V DC. Cell sites and data centers are very different from a mechanical standpoint. However, from an electrical perspective, these two types of facilities are very similar.\ud This thesis presents a quantitative analysis of the benefits of a 380 V DC topology, compared to the current 48 V DC topology. This analysis is based on the simulation of typical telecom distribution configurations, taking into account regulations and best practices currently in use in the telecom industry. A sensitivity study is conducted to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different configurations for varying tower loads and heights. Conclusions about these topologies are finally discussed based on economical and efficiency characteristics. \u