Polar Power: solutions for demanding industries, made in the USA

Polar Power is a leading vertical manufacturer and provider of energy solutions for demanding industries such as telecom, military, industrial, telecom and marine sectors, among others. Thanks to Polar Power’s expertise in complex sectors, telecom operators worldwide can take advantage of robust DC generators, proven in the most challenging operating environments. Interestingly, back in 1979, at the very beginning of its history, Polar Power’s first product was a solar powered vaccine refrigerator/freezer for remote areas… Something that TowerXchange absolutely loves!

TowerXchange: Please tell us about yourself, your background and your role within Polar Power.

In 1979, I co-founded Polar Power and started delivering solar photovoltaic power systems to remote locations worldwide. Today Polar Power is a leading end-to-end designer, manufacturer and distributor of DC generators for the telecom, marine, oil and gas, military and automotive industries. Actually, our first product was a solar powered vaccine refrigerator for use in remote areas worldwide, developed in cooperation with the World Health Organization, NASA, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

To date, Polar Power, is publically traded on Nasdaq under the symbol POLA. This gives our customers transparency on Polar’s financial strength along with the confidence that we will be around for long into the future to service their needs. Polar directly employs 125 employees comprising of manufacturing, engineering R&D, customer service, and administration. Most of the company’s management is made of highly experience engineers. We are a very hands-on team and we do understand the real technical challenges of our customers. One of my favourite pastimes is to visit rural communities to explore (and put into practice) ways to improve the lives of people by providing power.

In the 1990s we pioneered Hybrid Solar Systems using DC generators and this enabled us to lower both the capex and opex while improving upon the system reliability. In 1995, Polar was the first company in the telecom industry to introduce DC generators as a prime power replacement to AC generators. Polar was also the first to incorporate DC generators into Solar Hybrid systems.

Since 1995 and continuing, our focus has been improving every component within the system through engineering innovation, new production tooling and raw material sourcing. A few very simple components can cause a functional problem that requires one or two maintenance trips to the site for corrective action.

Within our Los Angeles headquarters, we manufacture in volume our own alternators, controls, engine accessories and enclosures.

TowerXchange: Can you tell us more about Polar Power’s customer base and offering for the telecom industry?

We serve mobile network operators in the U.S., India, Australia, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Panama, the Caribbean, India and Bangladesh. These include, AT&T, Airtel, Telstra, Verizon, Grameenphone and Sprint just to name a few.

Not long ago, Polar had been distributing its products through OEMs and VARs so it was hard to spot the Polar brand in the field. The problem we had with OEMs and VARs was poor integration of our products into their systems, or their limited resource to finance and manage their projects. Our current path is direct relationship with the customer and the use of “channel partners” to provide the field service and maintenance. Managing and training our channel partners, along with customer service to the telecom carrier or tower operator, is being handled for full time Polar employees on a local basis. We have learned that It’s very important to have direct staff in country or near by.

This will not only improve the relationship with our customer base but also offset the cost of our products. Since Polar Power’s DC generators are high-end products, designed and manufactured by us in the United States, becoming a direct distributor will contribute to making our price point more competitive.

In terms of their characteristics, our DC generator and our Solar Hybrid solutions based on our DC generator technology optimally serve the industry thanks to their reduced size which is anything between half to a third of the size of a conventional AC generator or Hybrid system. On backup or prime power applications our natural gas models can function with very low gas pressure (as low as 4” of H2O) and our DC generators utilise low horsepower engines which helps when it comes to acquiring permits and installation, which is a huge plus in certain markets!

Our products are designed to meet the requirements of top customers worldwide and we’ve set ambitious goals for ourselves such as reducing fuel consumption by 30 to 70% on most sites, halving the carbon footprint and reducing site maintenance costs. There are further cost reductions by removing the need for transfer switches along with third party monitoring equipment. Very few options are required to install a Polar DC generator. These goals greatly contribute to increasing the ROI for our telecom customers.

15kW Diesel DC genset, very compact and quiet

TowerXchange: The first question our readers will want to know is ‘how proven is the solution in the field’ – please tell us about the performance of your solution in the field – who is using it and what results have been achieved?

Certain industries such as the military demand extremely high levels of reliability and durability with temperatures as low as -50°C and as hot as 65°C, along with subjecting our generator to simulated nuclear EMP pulse. Our marine applications push the requirement for a high degree of corrosion resistance. Specialty vehicles demand light weight, compact size and high fuel efficiency. We have generators for offshore buoys that float in the Atlantic ocean and remote hybrid systems that are accessible only by helicopters and these sites demand maintenance schedules of once to twice a year.

We of course have telecommunications sites worldwide but our solutions in the field can be best proven by some of our extreme applications where conditions are really pushing the limit. There is not much differentiation in terms of industries so our telecom customers benefit from the extremely demanding requirements of other fields.

On the other hand, the simple fact is that we’ve been in the business for over 35 years, and over 20 years in telecom, our business is growing and we are profitable, so our products and services must be working well!

TowerXchange: What is your installed base at cell sites worldwide?

Having provided systems for over 25 years, we’ve lost count… I’d say that my best guess is over 10,000.

TowerXchange: What’s the sweet spot for your solutions in terms of grid availability and the load your solutions can support?

Our sweet spot is for the difficult installations; off-grid, weather extremes, very remote, high cost of fuel. However we are cost competitive on the simpler backup requirements when connected to a reliable grid.

Our DC generators and systems can handle loads as small as 500 W to as large as 30 kW. This year Polar is planning to tap deeper into the telecom and Cloud-type data sites with our range of 200kW DC systems.

TowerXchange: How has your solution been designed to maximise autonomy and minimise the number of site visits required?

Using integrated controls and providing complete remote monitoring and control of key elements adds to the autonomy. We can monitor every components such as the cells in the battery bank, engine functions, alternator controls, security, ambient temperatures, cooling functions et cetera.

To reduce visits to the site, we provide 14 litre oil sumps, extra-large coolant reservoirs for the engine radiator, oversized fuel and engine oil filters, connections and control modules use weathertight connectors and electrical assemblies, enclosures are all aluminum, particle separators are used to keep sand, dirt, animals, and rain out of the enclosures.

Also the Polar system does not require a starting battery.

TowerXchange: How is your solution scalable to accommodate the increasing power requirements as multiple tenants are added to a site?

The Polar system is modular. Additional DC generators, batteries, and solar can be added at any time. Our systems occupy very little space so that adding more capacity is quite easy.

TowerXchange: How has your solution been ‘hardened’ to protect against fuel and equipment theft?

The fuel tank is concealed within a cabinet and there is not a fill point visible. There is a single three-point door lock to provide access and all the side doors can only be opened through the single door.

Starting battery theft is also a major problem, Polar has overcome the problem by designing a generator without the need for a starting battery. We use a capacitor instead of a battery.

TowerXchange: Should M2M technology be built into energy systems, or should third party remote monitoring be used to provide visibility into performance?

Arthur D. Sams, President and Chief Executive Office, Polar Power: Since Polar is a vertical manufacturer of each component of the generator, we are able to build the M2M technology into the system. Another benefit of a single source for system controls and monitoring is that all software is compatible. Using third party monitoring typically reduces the number of essential points monitored, also the cost of hardware and installation greatly increases.

TowerXchange: What is the typical asset life-cycle of your solutions and how can it be maximised?

I’d say that 20 to 30 years is the typical lifecycle. At Polar Power we are extremely conscious about the environment and the eco-impact of our products. So we’ve gone the extra-mile to ensure our generators last as long as possible by designing them so that only the engine requires replacement when needed. This is something that AC generators are not engineered for; toward the end of life AC generators are engineered to be replaced as a whole unit and typically not rebuilt. Our philosophy is to design each and every component to have the longest possible life and parts that wear are low in cost and replacement can be easily accomplished in the field.