In collaboration with partners P-21, globally renowned pioneers in the field of advanced power solutions, Masiya conducted and completed a successful trial of the fuel cell technology at Wataniya, making this the first utilization of its kind in the State of Kuwait.

The trial was carried out in one of the base stations of the Wataniya Telecom tower at Al Funtas, and was overseen by members of Masiya's Advanced Power Systems Division.

Lasting in excess of a month and involving periods of both supervised and unsupervised testing, the trial also encompassed the new air-conditioning system, which was able to maintain below-critical shelter temperature during the simulated power outages. It was followed by a special advanced workshop session at site for pertinent Wataniya staff that was delivered by Mr. Andreas Fanslau of P-21.

The Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) system managed to provide more than 10 hours of back-up time using 6 hydrogen cylinders, and was monitored remotely through a GPRS modem. It sent the appropriate SMS warning messages and reports to the technical team.

"What makes this event quite remarkable is the apparent compatibility between the offered technology on the one hand, and Wataniya's system requirements on the other," explains Mr. Meshal Al-Ibrahim, Masiya's Chief Operating Officer. "The tested system is in fact a state-of-the-art technology that is used in space missions. Being robust and reliable, it was then successfully applied and utilized by the telecom industry."

The primary advantages of the fuel cell are that it is small, light and pollutant-free, since power-generation using hydrogen guarantees a 100% environmentally friendly operation. It is also highly efficient, reliable and operates at low noise levels.

The cell also has a potential operating time of up to 2,000 hours; making it reliable against power disruption for up to 10 years. One can easily and flexibly configure/program the cell according to requirements; that in addition to it being cost-effective and resistant to temperature fluctuations.

Owing to the encouraging success of this initial trial, Masiya seeks to introduce the technology to other mission-critical industries - in both Kuwait and the Gulf - such as Banking and Oil & Gas, where any vulnerability to power interruption cannot be afforded.

About P21
P21 is located in Munich, Germany and was established in 2001; developing, producing and marketing high quality fuel cell systems and related components for applications in the 2--20 kW power range. With its patented hydrogen-powered fuel cells, P-21 is considered the leading supplier of UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply), especially for use in the sensitive and fragile realm of telecommunications

About Masiya
Masiya is a systems integrator and provider of IT and Telecommunications solutions established in 2001 in the State of Kuwait, with corporate branches in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.