Alta-Xintong offers DC solar power for telecom towers

Chennai: Alta-Xintong Solar Tech Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between Bangalore-based Alta Energy Technologies Pvt Ltd and Chinese solar system solution provider XinTong, has launched DC solar power systems for power telecom towers in India. The company has tied up with an international financial institution to finance deployment of solar power systems.

The system would support the operators to run their new towers through solar power, reducing dependency on diesel powered systems which are currently under use, said E M Abdul Manaf, managing director, Alta Energy Technologies Pvt Ltd. The company is expecting to sell around 2,000 solar power systems by end of 2011, he added.

"We are in advanced stages of finalising 2,000 solar power systems for leading tower companies in India under the zero investment plan. We are in talks with major tower operators like Indus and GTL to provide the new system for their upcoming projects and shifting some of the existing towers from diesel system to solar system," he added.

Around 30,000 towers out of the total 300,000 telecom sites in the country are in off-grid rural locations, where it is run round the clock on diesel power. Besides, estimates are that around 36,000 sites are expected to come up in every year in India, with a market value of $ 2.16 billion.

The company has entered into tie-up with an international financial institution to provide an investment plan to the tower operators, zero investment plan. Under the plan, the financial institution would provide loan for investment, through which the tower operators could avail the system without making up-front investment.

Alta holds 65 per cent and XinTong holds 35 per cent of shares in the joint venture firm.