LENEXA, Kan. (Nov. 20, 2019) — A Lenexa business is stepping in to help the Bahamas restore telecommunications after Hurricane Dorian ravaged the island nation in August 2019.
HCI Energy has reached a deal with Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) to send four of its Hybrid Cubes to sites on Grand Bahama and Abaco Islands. Hurricane Dorian wiped out both the telecommunications network and the power grid in these areas. Powered by HCI Energy’s Hybrid Cube, BTC will be able to bring its network back online, a critical first step on the long road to recovery.
The Hybrid Cube delivers affordable, sustainable continuous energy to any location worldwide. The autonomous, scalable and environmentally responsible design harvests a proprietary combination of solar, wind, generator and battery energy storage technologies to deliver reliable power with enhanced cost certainty in an unpredictable fuel market. The power generation capabilities are housed in a standard ISO shipping container that allow it to be transported to even the most remote and environmentally challenging areas worldwide, making it a valuable asset in disaster recovery.
In the Bahamas, use of the Hybrid Cube helps meet the goals of the country’s recovery, which include introducing more renewable energy solutions. In addition, using the freestanding Cubes saves time and minimizes costs that would otherwise be dedicated to rebuilding power infrastructure. Once on site, the Hybrid Cubes require very little civil work to be positioned and deployed, dramatically reducing time to market. Given the island nation’s geographic location and proclivity for taking direct hits from hurricanes, the Hybrid Cubes will allow BTC to be hyper-responsive to potential future disasters by simply moving the Cubes to newly impacted areas.
“Our technology is well positioned to help individuals and communities survive and thrive in the aftermath of a natural disaster. We’re committed to helping BTC effectively use these Hybrid Cubes to restore communication service, meet basic human needs and, ultimately, speed recovery efforts to some of the hardest-hit areas in the Bahamas,” said Ray Ansari, founder and CEO of HCI Energy. “By closely monitoring the systems even remotely here in Kansas City, we can ensure the highest level of efficiency over time as the country’s rebuilding process unfolds.”
HCI Energy is backed by a private equity investment from the DeBruce Family Office and Ravago Americas, LLC. With that support, HCI Energy has been able to strengthen its foothold as an industry leader in innovation, price, design and quality, and secure larger projects in the marketplace. Four Hybrid Cubes will ship to the Bahamas this month after HCI Energy surpassed a global energy company competing to work with BTC.
“For those of us living on-grid, we often take for granted our access to reliable energy. In the wake of the devastation we’ve seen firsthand in the Bahamas, it’s critical that our Hybrid Cubes are poised to make an impact beginning on day one,” said Kevin Kowalik, vice president of sales and marketing at HCI Energy. “We look forward to being a true partner to BTC long term, and to delivering best-in-class support to augment the value of our technology as we help the Bahamas move forward in a positive direction.”
Working with BTC, HCI Energy hopes to further expand its reach into the Caribbean. Carriers are increasingly looking for distributed generation and energy storage solutions to reduce costs, increase reliability and connect remote regions. This is underscored by a global telecom tower power system market valued at $1.8 billion in 2015. The telecom tower power market is anticipated to expand at 12.2% CAGR through 2025 as the number of mobile subscribers rises, and HCI Energy is positioned to capitalize on this significant market opportunity.
Based in the Kansas City area, HCI Energy, LLC embraces the core values of accountability, respect and technical competency. HCI Energy applies these core values while meeting customer needs with excellence in both product and service. Led by Founder Ray Ansari, long-time energy industry executive and an electrical engineer by trade, HCI Energy works diligently to find innovative ways to solve problems that affect individuals and industries across the globe. For more information, visit hcienergy.com.