Simtel Team and GenCell successfully tested a green power solution for Vodafone Romania

Simtel Team, a Romanian company listed on the AeRO market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange and a local leader in the rooftop photovoltaic power plant solutions, also specialized in telecommunications and EPCM and GenCell Energy, a leading provider of hydrogen and ammonia-based electricity solutions, announces the successful implementation of a power solution for a mobile telecommunications site in Romania, operated by Vodafone. The solution implemented and provided by GenCell FOX is off grid and involves generating energy from hydrogen by cracking liquid ammonia.

The project was designed to meet strict zero-emission sustainability targets, to ensure continuous, 24/7 power even in severe weather conditions and to minimize operating expenses by using the widely available liquid ammonia fuel.

“We understand the tough power challenges facing our mobile network clients. Implementing such a project is a highly sensitive process, but Simtel’s experience as a telecommunications integrator and turnkey PV installation solution provider has allowed us to anticipate and mitigate potential risks, carefully work out the implementation stages and to complete this innovative and ambitious project. It is one of the few projects in Romania that uses hydrogen generators. After testing the GenCell’s FOX for more than 1,200 hours continuously in different power loads at a live telecom site, we are confident that the GenCell FOX stand-alone power solution can offer a solution to these challenges, keeping remote mobile towers running continuously while complying with increasingly strict European regulations around the use of fossil fuels. Following this successful field test, we expect to explore more opportunities for deployment of joint projects together by Simtel and GenCell,” stated Radu Vilău, co-founder and CTO of Simtel Team.

Within the project, the Simtel team acted as the integrator of the solution, being responsible for the activities related to authorization, design, civil construction, electrical installations, and together with the GenCell Energy team for its commissioning and testing. GenCell FOX is a low-temperature alkaline fuel cell which generates power from liquid ammonia – one of the most effective and energy-dense carbon-free hydrogen carriers – with only water, nitrogen and heat as its by–products.

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“GenCell is seeing a substantial uptake in interest in its solutions across the telecom sector, especially in Europe where regulations are tightening against carbon emissions. Alkaline fuel cell technology can help operators implement renewable power solutions directly at mobile sites, even when they are located in remote locations and the toughest climate conditions,” stated Rami Reshef, CEO, GenCell.

The objective of the field test was to evaluate the ammonia-based power solution’s performance, resilience and cost-savings potential over a six-week timescale. Initial results from the test indicate that the system operated reliably, providing required power output through the entire test period. The system was operated autonomously and minimal intervention from GenCell personnel was required. Upon demonstration of the resilient and reliable performance of the solution, Vodafone will showcase it to different business units.