Project summary:
Crowdlending campaign for a set of energy efficiency installations in off-grid mobile base stations throughout Spain.

Through this crowdlending campaign, ECrowd! is giving its investors access to a world class professional investment project. Apart from the positive contribution to the environment and the strong financial return, this is a first time opportunity to co-invest alongside a professional investor and contribute to a large energy efficiency investment.  

Project description:

Crowdfunded loan (crowdlending) for an energy efficiency project for off-grid mobile base stations, helping to reduce its energy consumption and carbon footprint thanks to the installation of hybrid systems, including solar panels, inverters, batteries as well as the renovation of the support generators. Due to technical reasons, this project has been implemented in 3 correlaive phases of 9, 4 and 3 base stations.

This project aims to optimise the energy efficiency of a network infrastructure belonging to the largest mobile phone operator in Spain. The first 9 mobile base stations are off grid, and were supplied solely by a diesel generator and without any energy storage system. The base stations have been renovated with two types of installations; 3 stations have had solar panels, inverters and batteries installed, together with a high quality diesel support generator; the 6 others have received storage batteries and a new diesel generator to recharge them.  In addition, the diesel generator is activated through a control and monitoring software, being used solely to recharge batteries when necessary  and monitor various aspects of the base station (temperature, ventilation, etc…).

For the 4 EB on the second phase, it has been opted for the connection to the grid with the support of an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), batteries and a new generator so an average reduction of 54% CO2 emissions is achieved annually. That corresponds approximately, at this phase 2, with about 120,000 kg of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, equivalent to the energy consumption of 40 flats of 90 m2 or the planting 12,000 trees.

In this third phase, that completes the entire project, the solution chosen is to replace the old diesel generators, that were in operation 24 hours a day, for a hybrid solution composed by the installation of batteries and a new hihg performance diesel generator, that works only when the batteries need to be charged. As a result of these actions, an annual reduction of CO2 emissions of 97 Tm is achieved, 65% lower than before.

The set of technical solutions implemented have improved energy efficiency in all stations, resulting in an overall reduction of 68% in CO2 emissions per year, approximately 900 Tm, equivalent to the energy consumption of 300 homes of 90 m2 or the planting of 90,000 trees.

The project has been executed by Enertika, a company with a very strong reputation in the energy efficiency field. Financing of the project is through SI Capital Private Equity, a specialist investor in well managed companies along the Energy Efficiency value chain, principally in Spain and the UK. One year after the implementation of the project, and based on its success, SI Capital has decided to open up investment in this project to the crowd, via its subsidiary SI Energy, and using the services of positive impact crowdlending platform ECrowd!

Savings generated until the first quarter of 2016:

Collaterals of the collective loan:

Guarantee provided by SI ENERGY INVESTMENTS SLU by pledging the rights and revenues derived from the execution of the energy efficiency project on the base stations mentioned, as well as the affectation of the installations financed for those same base stations. Likewise, the company is committed to maintaining a position of permanent liquidity equivalent to the amount of the next six installments of the loan.
As this deals with the partial refinancing of an existing project which has been functioning for more than a year, there are no implementation uncertainties and all the operational data are known.

Financial projections of the project (revenues in Euro):

Description of the technologies (every base has its own):

Photovoltaic modules: The modules were supplied by Suntech, models STP-270-24vb.

The Selected models have the minimum required certificates for photovoltaic panels and their features and technical guarantees are within market standards.

PV Inverters: The inverters transform the direct current from the photovoltaic panels into alternating current used in the base station.

When the photovoltaic panels generate sufficient power to supply the base station, the electronic system of the inverter will supervise the voltage and frequency to ensure the supply of energy is done safely.

Batteries: Lead Acid traction batteries from manufacturer Exide Tudor have been selected.

Lead Acid batteries are well suited to photovoltaic installations due to their long lasting life, their ability to function in slow discharge and loading systems as well as their low level of self-discharge.

New generators: A diesel generator from manufacturer CAROD has been selected. The diesel engine is an engine from Manufacturer LOMBARDI with 4-stroke mechanical adjustment, indirect injection, liquid cooling and set at 1,500 r.p.m.

To provide greater autonomy to the system, there are two oil tanks of 1000 liters and 1500 liters installed. When oil level drops to 30%, the management system alerts about the need to recharge the tanks.

Bidirectional inverter -  energy manager: the energy management system is the bidirectional inverter from SMA Sunny Island.  The Sunny Island bidirectional battery inverter is often referred to as a combined inverter/battery charger. It takes care of storing excess energy in the battery and supplying the installation with power from the battery.

These devices are particularly cost-effective because they perform both functions via the same power semi-conductors. The Sunny Island is equipped with both grid management and with a highly developed battery management function, which includes monitoring.

Thus it is continuously updated on the exact battery charge and as system manager makes necessary ongoing decisions. When the batteries are empty and there is little generation capacity, it activates a permanently available backup energy source (e.g., a diesel generator) or even switch off certain consumer loads. It also determines the optimum strategy for charging the batteries, and in so doing, increases their lifespan.

Container: The hybrid solutions designed by Enertika are integrated inside a freight container.  

The selected container is a maritime type, the “Dry Vande”, 8 feet wide and 10 feet long. It has enough strength to allow the installation of all equipment inside, as well as transporting it in complete security and without affecting the stability of the support.

The temperature control of the container is essential to ensure the correct functioning of the equipment and is optimised through a number of extractors and vents.

UPS or Uninterruptible Power Supply: is a device that, thanks to batteries that store energy, can provide electricity for a limited time to all those devices connected to it. Another function of this device is to improve the quality of the incoming energy, by filtering ups and downs of tension and eliminating harmonics from the network in case of the use of altern electricity.

Localisation map in Spain of the base stations for phase 1:

Jábaga (Cuenca)

Almodóvar del Pinar (Cuenca)

Abia de la Obispalía (Cuenca)

Valdecarros (Madrid)

Canal Villoria (Salamanca)

Pouet (Lleida)

Briones/Revijarres (La Rioja)

Minguez (Teruel)

Monegros (Huesca)

Localisation map in Spain of the base stations for phase 2:

Masies de Voltregà (Barcelona)

Valdemoro del Rey (Cuenca)

Matanza de los Oteros(León)

Polígono Industrial Paracuellos (Madrid)

Localisation map in Spain of the base stations for phase 3:

Arenys de Munt (Barcelona)

Puigpelat (Tarragona)

Coslada, Puertoseco (Madrid)

Additional information: How to invest with ECrowd! 

Investing in ECrowd's projects is also open to non-spanish residents.

ECrowd! never charges any commission, neither on your investment nor on the interests you receive.

The appropriate income tax is deducted from the interests received by spanish residents.

The interest rate on your investment can be dependent on the success of the actual project. It is occasionally possible that the actual interest rate differs from the one initially advertised. Please read attentively the information on each project before investing. Diversifying your investments is the optimal strategy to manage your investment portfolio.

ECrowd! is a regulated crowdlending operator (Plataforma de Financiación Participativa) with a licence from the Spanish Financial Authority (CNMV).