Ecopol - The Queen of the greenfield cellsites
Truck delivery includes steel anchor, tower parts and four podiums. Delivery time is 4-12 weeks from Purchase Order and it takes 1-2 days to build the tower. Ecopol has a 24-month guarantee, which is expandable by using Lifecycle Services.
- 3-4 operators – high tenancy ratio
- Easier permissions for sensitive locations
- Official CO2 calculations
- Only 0,5° angle of rotation (twist)
- Up to 50 m² wind load of antennas
- Several tons of load in kg
- Lifetime is +30 years
- Any color, engravings or advertising signs
Ecopol is a freestanding ground-based tower (GBT) with two heights available: 30 and 40 meters. Ecopol has a structural acceptance in Germany and it is meeting or exceeding
Eurocode standards and National Annexes for example in Finland, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Hungary, and The Netherlands; it is accepted in the EU. It is a hybrid structure of Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) and Glue Laminated (GL) wood with steel frames inside. Footprint at the bottom is approximately 6×6 to 7×7 meters, for the Ecopol 30m or 40m respectively. The whole structure from the hat through podiums to the ground is grounded via inside steel frames.
Standard Ecopol 30m and 40m have the same headframe with a hat and four walkable podiums.
The charring rate is according to the standards 0,7mm/min. Biological harm prevention can be done according to national standards. The origin of the wood material is from PEFC-certified forests, wood is not impregnated. Wood elements are CE-marked.
Tower building requires a crane and a team of 3-5 persons to install. Ecotelligent provides a Product Training Service (PTS) as a part of the pilot project per customer.
Standard truck delivery has two phases, the steel anchor will be delivered prior to the cast of the concrete foundation. The second phase of truck delivery includes prefabricated tower parts. In the building phase, 9 or 13 elements, Ecopol 30 and Ecopol 40 respectively, must be lifted and connected to each other onsite.
Ecopol coating is a non-toxic paint or natural oil. Customers may choose any RAL color code, for example, RAL 1024.
On the podium’s outer edges, vertical antenna and RRU installation tubes or frames can be installed. Tower walls can be used as a wall in mounting points between podiums.
For updating or maintaining later on, it is easy to rig ropes under the podiums. The vertical distance between podiums is 2 meters. The length of each outer edge of the rounded triangle-shaped podium is approximately 2,4 meters. The width of the podium is 50 cm.
Cable holes are under each podium. A safety connection rail is on each podium level on the wall of the Ecopol. Podiums can be equipped with extra anchor points.
Tower metal parts are connected from the hat to the ground via the tower’s internal steel frame. Some customers add auxiliary grounding cables for equipment grounding.
Ecopol towers can be operated from outside by using 1) climbing on optional safety ladders, 2) rope access techniques and 3) manlift.
Inside access is not required under normal operation, only during inspections. Ecopol’s hollow inside section is used for cabling, but it can be accessed via a manhole at the ground level and via an openable hat at the top during inspections.
Standard Ecopol 30 and 40 have the same headframe with an openable hat and four walkable podiums. They are accessible from the optional safety ladder. At each podium level, there are safety rails where climbers’ PPE fall prevention and fall arresting connect. For person-rescue, updating or maintenance later on, it is easy to rig ropes under the podiums. The vertical distance between podiums is 2 meters. The length of each outer edge of the rounded triangle-shaped podium is approximately 2,4 meters. The width of the podium is 50 cm.
Ecopol’s initial suitability check is easy by using pre-calculated charts and figures of its load-bearing capacity in different circumstances. Knowing two of the parameters, the third can be read from the figures
Wind zone, country-specific (EN 1991-1-4/4.2)
Antenna and fittings area, that are being installed on the highest 10 m section of Ecopol
Terrain category (EN 1991-1-4/AnnexA)
Since the basic wind velocity (vb0) in European countries varies by wind zone, the maximum net antenna and RRU wind surface, that can be installed on the tower are given in the tables next pages, broken down by wind zones (EN 1991-1-4/4.2) and terrain category (EN 1991-1-4/AnnexA). The specified values include RRU. In addition to the antennas, the associated antenna support structures were taken into account in the calculation with an additional wind surface area of up to 25 % of the antennas. The antennas and RRUs are evenly distributed over the upper 10 m tower section. It is presumed also, that antennas and RRUs do not cover each other facing to wind, thus the wind area is always the worst-case scenario.
In the chart, the vertical z-axis is the customer antenna and device area in square meters. On horizontal y-axis wind zones vb0 (m/s) and x-axis Terrain Category types 1-4. These charts are for the initial evaluation of Ecopol suitability in particular locations, further static calculation checking is done during the planning phase.
NOTE National procedures may vary country by country regarding telecom tower structures, and how they are classified by standards. Each country’s procedures must be respected and inspection and maintenance activities are followed by local regulations.
Ecopol 30 or Ecopol 40 inspection is carried out on a yearly basis, with a visual inspection every other year and a closer inspection yearly. Repainting is recommended after 10-15 years. Otherwise, the structure has no special maintenance compared to ordinary steel lattice towers.
Tower inspection is a well-documented series of tasks done outside and inside of the tower, including bolts, joints, materials, coatings, outlook, verticality, foundation and many more.
Based on inspection results, possible corrective actions can be done immediately or at a different time, which is suitable for the tenants and the tower owner.
