Cut the Cost of Powering Off-Grid Telecom Towers
Site energy is the largest controllable line in network OPEX, and most of it is service visits, fuel and theft rather than the generator itself. Replacing diesel with a 12 kVA / 12 kW microturbine changes all three: one service visit per year, up to 90% service cost saving, 30 to 50 percent fuel cost saving and a fuel that is hard to resell.
What a diesel tower site actually costs a TowerCo
The purchase price of a tower genset is a fraction of what it costs to keep it running for seven years. A diesel unit needs attention once a month or 300 run hours, and at an off-grid site the truck roll, the crew and the security escort usually cost more than the parts. On top of that sits fuel, and in many markets a share of that fuel never reaches the tank.
The microturbine attacks the recurring lines rather than the capital line, which is why the position improves every year the asset stays on site.
- Service visits
- One service visit per year against once a month or 300 run hours for diesel. Up to 90% service cost saving on a like-for-like comparison, before you count the truck rolls you no longer dispatch.
- Fuel
- 30 to 50 percent fuel cost saving against a like-for-like diesel genset, because the unit will run whichever of diesel, kerosene, paraffin, HVO, FAME biofuel is cheapest at your sites, in any blend, with no hardware change. Basis: brochure case studies. Switching a site from diesel to a kerosene and heating oil mix cut fuel cost by 35 percent, and a site with reduced fuel theft cut operating cost by 50 percent.
- Fuel theft
- Kerosene, paraffin and blended fuel have little or no black market value in most operator regions. More than that, they cannot be siphoned into a vehicle or run in another generator, so there is no resale route and no reason to take them. Fewer scheduled attendances also means fewer third parties at an unmanned site.
- Asset life
- 45,000 hours design life against 15,000 to 25,000 hours for diesel, so the replacement capex lands roughly half as often.
Why diesel is failing telecom operators
Diesel gensets at off-grid and bad-grid towers are the single largest line in network OPEX for many operators. They need a service engineer on site every 250 to 500 run hours. They lose 15 to 30% of their fuel to theft and pilferage in many markets. They carry the particulate and NOx output of a reciprocating engine, which is what tightening site regulation targets. They are loud enough to attract complaints near populated sites.
Hybrid solar-diesel helps but doesn't solve the core problem: the diesel still has to start, still drinks fuel, and still needs servicing.
If you want the arithmetic for your own portfolio, the TCO calculator lets you enter your fuel prices, visit costs and theft exposure, and the microturbine vs diesel comparison sets out where each cost line moves.
Where the Bladon microturbine fits
- One moving part - one service visit per year vs. monthly visits for diesel.
- 12 kW prime continuous, sized for a typical 4G/5G tower load with margin.
- Multi-fuel: diesel, kerosene, paraffin, HVO, FAME biofuel - switch fuels without reconfiguration.
- MTG12: 60 dB LPA at 10 m (50 dB LPA at 10 m with the optional Silent Pack). MTP40: 60 dB(A) at 7 m and 85 dB(A) at 1 m (design target, not yet verified by test). Quiet enough for clean-air and noise-restricted sites.
- 97% lower particulates than diesel - meets tightening tower-site regulation.
- Integrates with solar/battery hybrid stacks as the firm-power layer.
- Fuel theft risk drops sharply: kerosene and paraffin have no resale market in most regions.
- Remote monitoring built in - fault detection without a truck roll.
- A single rotating assembly on air bearings, with no reciprocating motion, so there is no engine vibration transmitted to the mounts or the structure it sits on.
Proof from the field
Case study
Abbott Technologies, South Africa
Energy operating costs cut by over 50% across off-grid telecom sites.
Read case studyCase study
Satellite broadband operator, Papua New Guinea
Hybrid power on 70 sites, some reachable only by air.
Read case studyCase study
African mobile network operator, West Africa
Zero routine maintenance on an off grid tower.
Read case studyFrequently asked questions
How does the microturbine compare to a diesel genset on total cost of ownership?
Over a 7-year operating window at a typical off-grid African tower, the modelled reduction in total energy OPEX is 40 to 50%. Abbott Technologies in South Africa documented a cut of over 50% in site energy operating costs across their deployment. The big savings are fewer service visits, lower fuel theft losses, and longer lifetime before replacement. Exact numbers depend on diesel price, site visit cost, and load profile - talk to sales for a site-specific TCO.
Can the microturbine replace an existing diesel genset directly?
Yes. The MTG12 is sized for a typical 12 kW tower load profile and uses standard interfaces. In hybrid sites it integrates as the firm-power layer alongside solar PV and batteries.
What fuels does it run on?
Diesel, kerosene, paraffin, HVO, FAME biofuel and blends of these in any ratio. Because the microturbine burns any of these at the same efficiency, operators can switch to lower-carbon fuel with no hardware change. A hydrogen-ready roadmap is in development.
How does it reduce fuel theft?
Two ways. First, the fuel itself has little or no black-market value in most operator regions, and it cannot be siphoned into a vehicle or run in another generator, so there is no resale route. Second, one scheduled visit a year instead of monthly attendance means far fewer third parties on an unmanned site.
Is the microturbine noisy enough to need acoustic enclosure?
No. the MTG12 runs at 60 dB LPA at 10 m, or 50 dB LPA at 10 m with the optional Silent Pack, and the MTP40 has a design target of 60 dB(A) at 7 m and 85 dB(A) at 1 m, not yet verified by test. Measured at 10 m in free-field conditions, per the product datasheet. Both sit well inside typical clean-air and residential-zone noise limits, and the character of the sound is a steady turbine note with none of the low-frequency knock that carries furthest from a diesel.
How quickly can it start and take load?
The microturbine is suitable for both prime-power and backup duty cycles. Start and load acceptance times are published on the product datasheet: ask sales for the figure that applies to your duty cycle and site.
Where is it deployed today?
Operators across the UK, South Africa, and other African markets, under loads from a few hundred watts up to full power. Talk to sales for references relevant to your region.
What does service look like?
One scheduled service visit per year. Remote monitoring covers fault detection between visits so unscheduled call-outs are rare.
Specs at a glance
- MTG12 (single tenant)
- 12 kVA / 12 kW prime, Single phase
- MTP40 (multi tenant)
- 40 kVA / 32 kW prime, 44 kVA standby, Three phase - now available for pre-order
- Service interval
- One service visit per year
- Design life
- 45,000 hours
- Noise
- MTG12: 60 dB LPA at 10 m (50 dB LPA at 10 m with the optional Silent Pack). MTP40: 60 dB(A) at 7 m and 85 dB(A) at 1 m (design target, not yet verified by test)
- Fuels
- Diesel, kerosene, paraffin, HVO, FAME biofuel
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- MTG12 12 kVA microturbine gensetFull specification, fuels and service interval.
- MTP40 40 kVA three phase gensetAvailable for pre-order - reserve your delivery slot.
- Microturbine vs diesel genset comparisonSeven-year total cost of ownership, side by side.
- Total cost of ownership calculatorModel fuel, service and downtime costs for your own sites.
- Multi-fuel capabilityWhat the turbine runs on today, and what is in development.
- Track record and field evidenceIndependent validation, deployment results and manufacturing capability.
- Case studiesDocumented deployments and measured outcomes.