Solar on a site that never switches off

Next Media Park is the home of NBS and Uganda’s largest independent media house. Broadcast does not pause for a grid fault, and a site that goes dark on air is a site that has lost its audience, so the reliability requirement here is closer to a hospital than to an office.

A round-the-clock load with a daytime peak

The load runs continuously, with a heavy daytime component on top of the round-the-clock base. We sized the system, 86 kWp of PV with 96 kWh of storage, to shave that daytime peak, which means taking the top off the heaviest demand, rather than to carry the whole site.

Carrying a 24-hour broadcast load entirely on solar and batteries would have meant a much larger battery, used mostly to cover the quiet hours. Shaving the peak puts the money where the consumption actually is.

Built to be extended

The system was financed through a finance partner and has since been expanded, which is worth designing for from the start. Leaving room in the switchgear, the cable routes and the roof layout costs little at build time and a lot to add later.

Why it is a reference we point to

Broadcast infrastructure is unforgiving in a way that suits how we work. If a system holds up on a site where the public sees every interruption, it will hold up on sites with gentler requirements.