(EnergyAsia, August 14, Thursday)— Conergy Renewable Energy Singapore, a subsidiary of Germany’s Conergy AG, said it is in the final stages of developing and installing 12 off-grid photovoltaic systems for PT Telkomsel, Indonesia’s largest mobile services operator.

The project is planned for completion in end-August and will have a total installed capacity of 146 kilowatts, making the installation Indonesia’s largest solar project for telecom sites to date.

Conergy, a leading international supplier in the field of solar system integration, said the 12 sites in remote areas in Sumatra, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya are being developed in partnership with Gerbang Multindo Nusantara (GMN), a local Indonesian system integrator.

Conergy will provide 840 units of solar modules and balance of system for the installation and technical support for PT Telkomsel. In addition to powering an uninterrupted daily load of the transmission equipment, each system has been designed to provide charged solar power from its battery banks for up to five days in the worst weather conditions.

“Telecom sites in Indonesia have traditionally depended on diesel to power their repeater stations and cell sites,” said Stefan Mueller, managing director of Conergy Asia-Pacific.

“In addition to being environmentally-damaging, diesel power has proven to be costly and difficult to maintain in remote areas, leading to frequent breakdowns of diesel gensets. Solar power thus serves as an effective replacement for diesel gensets in remote sites with poor grid connection, while also providing a cost-friendly solution for reliable, clean and efficient power.”

M. Iswan, vice president for procurement and logistics at PT Telkomsel, said:

“Telkomsel is deeply committed to supporting clean energy development and environmental conservation. We are proud to commit ourselves to reducing our energy consumption and carbon emissions with market leading renewable energy solutions and exceptional technical expertise.”

With this project, Conergy has successfully diversified its off-grid portfolio to include industrial applications for the flourishing telecom sector, in addition to other off-grid projects in village electrification around Asia.

This is the second project that Conergy is developing for PT Telkomsel.

In February 2007, four standalone off-grid photovoltaic systems totaling 12.5 kilowatts were installed on Indonesia’s Maratua Island to facilitate power for PT Telkomsel’s microwave base stations. The installation was also Conergy’s first telecom electrification project in the Asia-Pacific region.