By Joe McGarvey, Marketing Director |

More than ever, communications service providers are looking for ways to cut electricity costs and operate more sustainably. The good news? Hybrid supercapacitor technology provides a cost-effective path to both goals.

Hybrid supercapacitors, including ATX’s Areca^™ family of next-generation energy storage modules, are enabling MSOs, wireless operators and other communication service providers (CSPs) to revolutionize their backup power operations while also cutting energy costs through peak shaving and other energy arbitrage strategies.

In addition to several other unique technical properties, hybrid supercapacitors support a significantly greater number of charge/discharge cycles than other energy storage mediums, including lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries. This advantage gives CSPs using hybrid supercapacitors for standby power the opportunity to put stored energy, which sits idle much of the time, to work — without compromising their standby power operations.

Defining Peak Shaving

Electricity rates fluctuate throughout the day. Utilities often charge higher rates during peak hours (typically late afternoon and early evening) when demand is high. Accordingly, peak shaving is a strategy in which businesses switch to stored energy during these expensive periods, then recharge their storage when rates drop.

In other words, the peak-shaving power of hybrid supercapacitors enables businesses to store energy when it’s at its cheapest and use that stored energy when rates are the most expensive — creating the opportunity for significant savings.

How much savings, of course, depends on daily fluctuations in energy costs and how much stored energy is being used. It’s not atypical, though, for telecom operators to save thousands of dollars annually per site. ATX is currently working with a mobile operator that calculates potential savings of more than $2,600 a cell site per year using hybrid supercapacitors for peak shaving. With thousands of sites in the carrier’s network, savings could scale into the millions.

Additional Arbitrage Applications

Beyond cost savings, the idle stored energy in hybrid supercapacitors can also be put to work to create new revenue opportunities. Many power companies buy back stored energy from businesses to help meet high demand. Instead of relying on expensive, air-fouling fossil fuel sites (known as spinning reserves) to fill this gap, utilities will pay CSPs and other businesses to feed their excess power into the grid.

This process, known as energy sellback, allows CSPs to sell stored energy during high-demand periods for a premium, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, further sustainability goals and assist utilities in stabilizing the grid — all without compromising backup power needs.

Hybrid supercapacitor technology offers businesses a backup energy source that not only saves money, but can potentially generate revenue — all while being safer and more efficient than traditional batteries.

For CSPs, data centers and other businesses, energy efficiency is no longer optional — it’s a competitive imperative. By adopting hybrid supercapacitors, businesses can lower electricity costs through peak shaving, generate revenue through energy sellback, improve backup power reliability and safety, and contribute to sustainability goals.

In an era of rising energy costs and increased focus on green solutions, hybrid supercapacitors are the future of energy storage. Instead of simply storing power, they unlock financial and environmental benefits that traditional batteries simply can’t match.

Discover More

For additional details and an in-depth examination of how MSOs and others can leverage the unique attributes of hybrid supercapacitors for peak shaving and other energy arbitrage applications, download the white paper Putting Idle Stored Energy to Work. The document details hybrid supercapacitors’ standout energy saving attributes and cites real-world examples of energy arbitrage in action.

The energy landscape is shifting, and businesses that embrace smarter, greener and more cost-efficient energy storage applications will stay ahead of the curve. Whether your goal is cutting costs, boosting revenue or reducing your company’s carbon footprint, hybrid supercapacitors are the key to unlocking your energy potential.