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Remote site power failures prompt recommendations for larger solar, batteries and redundant paths
Summary
Facilities staff described recent power failures at remote mountaintop sites, including Onion Mountain, and Day Wireless recommended larger solar/battery plants, stronger generators, and redundant microwave/fiber/satellite paths to maintain service during severe weather and wildfires.
Facilities staff told the Board that several recent failures involved power at remote communications sites and that the Onion Mountain site relies primarily on solar, batteries, and a generator; bringing commercial electrical service to that site may be prohibitively expensive.
Day Wireless described larger solar and battery systems, multi-bank battery storage, inverters and converters, and more dependable generators as potential solutions that, while representing significant investments, may be cheaper than extending commercial power across many miles. The vendor and staff also recommended designing multiple communications paths (fiber where available, microwave and satellite backups) and testing failover during mass-casualty or emergency-response exercises.
