US : Eltek Valere announced a family of high-efficiency (HE) AC-to-DC power systems for cellular and WiMAX telecom networks that can reduce power consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and electricity-related operating expenses.

Available in 150-, 300-, 600- and 1200-amp versions, the new Flatpack2 Power Systems are available for all size wireless network locations from base stations to central wireless switching offices. The products will debut at CTIA Wireless 2008 (April 1-3 in Las Vegas) in the Eltek Valere booth (#5927). Also at its booth, the company will leverage a unique count up timer to demonstrate how much energy the wireless industry can save during the show through the use of HE power systems.

The US wireless industry consumes more than 5 billion kWh annually, resulting in the release of nearly 4 million tons of CO2 greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Up to 70% of a carrier’s power bill goes to power network equipment, and an often-overlooked contributor to waste energy is the AC-to-DC power system.

Typical DC power systems waste between 8% and 15% of the total energy in the network due to low conversion efficiency, contributing to more than 750 million kWh and 600 thousand tons of unnecessary waste each year.

Flatpack2 Power Systems are based on Eltek Valere's new Flatpack2 HE rectifier, a 2,000-watt, -48 volt rectifier that offers 96% power conversion efficiency.

At that level, the rectifier has the potential to reduce power loss from 1,500 kWh per year to 750 kWh. Given that a typical base station requires 5,000 kWh to operate and that there are roughly 200,000 base stations in the U.S., the power savings are substantial.

“The Flatpack2 is a great piece of power engineering – giving wireless carriers everything they need in a system from economical operation to fast and flexible load connections,” said Greg Fasullo, Eltek Valere Chief Marketing Officer. “At 96% efficiency, this system sets a new industry standard - one that I hope competitors follow so that the true environmental benefits will be widespread.”

All systems include an innovative distribution bus that allows flexible distribution of power out to networking equipment (load). The system also has multiple power buses that can be used for priority and non-priority equipment, allowing the carrier to shed the load of non-priority equipment to extend the battery life in the event of a power outage. The systems are available with 24V and 48V outputs to support a wide range of wireless equipment.

The Smartpack controller built into the Flatpack2 Power Systems delivers local and remote system and battery string management along with fault detection and full system configuration all through a Web browser-based management system.

Availability

All Flatpack2 Power Systems are now available in both 24V and 48V voltage levels through Eltek Valere’s direct sales and value added resellers in 100 countries worldwide. All systems are both UL and NEBS certified. The new system is compatible with both Eltek Valere’s legacy Flatpack2 rectifiers and its new Flatpack2 HE rectifiers.