Patent ID: 7525217

Claim:
A power supply system for providing reliable electrical power to a telecommunications facility, said facility containing telecommunications equipment, said system comprising: an AC power source; a plurality of individual rectifier/super capacitor devices, each device including a rectifier and a super capacitor packaged together in a housing, wherein the rectifier is operable to convert said AC electrical power to DC electrical power adaptable to power said telecommunication equipment; a DC power source including one or more proton exchange membrane fuel cell modules receiving hydrogen fuel from storage tanks, said DC power source selectively powering said telecommunication equipment based on an interruption of AC power being provided by the AC power source; wherein each of said individual rectifier/super capacitor devices includes a first, a second, and a third connection point, the first connection point internally couples the rectifier to the AC power source, the second connection point internally couples the rectifier to a first side of said super capacitor and to the telecommunication equipment for providing DC power thereto, and the third connection point internally couples a second side of said super capacitor to ground; wherein said AC power source comprises at least one microturbine generator operable to produce AC electrical power and adapted to be powered by a fuel; a first switching mechanism operable either to couple said at least one microturbine generator to said first connection point or to couple a commercial electric utility to said first connection point; a sensing/control mechanism operable to determine when inadequate flow of the fuel is realized by said at least one microturbine generator, and in response, direct the operation of the first switching mechanism to selectively couple said commercial electric utility to said first connection point, wherein the super capacitor is further configured as a power source to provide DC power to the telecommunication equipment when the first switching mechanism selectively couples said first connection point from said AC power source to said commercial electric utility, such that the DC power provided to the telecommunication equipment is uninterrupted; and a modular container for enclosing the plurality of individual rectifier/super capacitor devices pre-wired in parallel, the AC source, the DC source, and the first switching mechanism preassembled with sensing/control mechanism, wherein the modular container is capable of being transported to the telecommunications facility and coupled with the telecommunications equipment contained therein.