TECHNICAL
What does it cost to power a system?
Annual Cost for 100,000-home system $/KWh
Node+6 $459,900 $689,850 $919,800 $1,149,750 $1,379,700
Node+3 $730,000
Now that we have a number for the energy usage, it is straightforward multiplication by the price of electricity in order to determine the annual cost. In the United States, averaging $0.15 per KWh, powering the HFC plant can cost more than $700,000 each year for a 100,000-home system. WHAT ARE THE ANNUAL BATTERY MAINTENANCE COSTS? Battery Count We made our power calculations based only on node and amplifier consumption. In order to calculate the number of batteries, we will need to know the number of power supplies. In the Node + 6 system, we will estimate approximately 2.5 power supplies per node, while for the Node + 3 system, we will assume one. That yields 500 power supplies for Node + 6, and 667 power supplies for Node + 3. In all cases we are assuming six batteries per power supply. This will allow a run time of at least four hours under typical loads. This may be a regulatory requirement in some areas for provision of voice services. The total battery requirement assuming six batteries per power supply is as follows:
Cost of Electricity at:
$0.10 $0.15 $0.20 $0.25 $0.30
$1,095,000 $1,460,000 $1,825,000 $2,190,000
Annual Cost per Home in 100,000-home system $/KWh
Node+6
Node+3
Cost of Electricity at:
$0.10 $0.15 $0.20 $0.25 $0.30
$4.60 $6.90 $9.20
$7.30
$10.95 $14.60 $18.25 $21.90
$11.50 $13.80
Battery Replacement Years: 4
Node+6
Node+3
units
750
1,000
$120 $500
unit cost unit labor
$90,000 $375,000
$ 120,000 $ 500,000
Total
$465,000
$ 620,000
Total per home
$4.65
$6.20
TOTAL COST – ELECTRICITY AND BATTERY MAINTENANCE Adding up the cost of electricity and battery maintenance, the annual cost per home could range from $9.25 to $28.10, depending on the cost of electricity.
We have not included the cost of maintaining the power supplies themselves, which could add a slight amount to the overall maintenance costs.
Node + 6: 500 power supplies, 3,000 batteries
Annual Cost for 100,000-home system $/KWh
Node + 3: 667 power supplies, 4,000 batteries
Node+6 $459,900 $689,850 $919,800 $1,149,750 $1,379,700
Node+3 $730,000
Cost of Electricity at:
$0.10 $0.15 $0.20 $0.25 $0.30
$1,095,000 $1,460,000 $1,825,000 $2,190,000
Maintenance Cost
We will assume that each battery requires replacement on average every 4 years. With the cost of these batteries at $120 each and with an average labour cost of $500 per operation including truck roll, we are talking about $465,000 to $620,000 per year. This does not include administrative and overhead costs such as warehousing, disposal, scheduling etc.
Annual Cost per Home in 100,000-home system $/KWh
Node+6
Node+3
Cost of Electricity at:
$0.10 $0.15 $0.20 $0.25 $0.30
$4.60 $6.90 $9.20
$7.30
$10.95 $14.60 $18.25 $21.90
$11.50 $13.80
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Volume 47 No.1 MARCH 2025
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