Case Study: Replacing Diesel Backup Generators with Hybrid Hydrogen UPS Systems for Critical Aviation Infrastructure

Industry: Aviation & Air Transportation Support 

Customer: Airways New Zealand 

System Location: Wellington Area Transmission Site, New Zealand 

Objective: Replace high-maintenance, carbon-intensive diesel generators at remote transmission sites.

Core Tech: 80 kW hydrogen fuel cell, 100 kWh battery storage, on-site electrolyzers, and remote Power Management Platform™.

Key Result: 100% automated failover during severe storm grid outages with 7+ days of continuous autonomy.

The Challenge: Eliminating Diesel Dependency in Mission-Critical Aviation Operations

As the organization responsible for managing aircraft movements entering New Zealand airspace, Airways New Zealand operates infrastructure where reliability is non-negotiable. Transmission systems, communications equipment, and operational technology must remain online continuously to ensure safe and efficient aviation operations across New Zealand. 

Historically, diesel generators served as the standard emergency backup solution for these critical sites. But for Airways New Zealand (Airways), diesel represented a growing contradiction: established technology, yes. But noisy, maintenance-heavy, carbon-intensive, and increasingly misaligned with the company’s long-term sustainability goals. 

Airways envisioned a different future. With an engineering mindset and a strong focus on operational resilience, Airways began exploring how hydrogen and fuel cell technologies could eliminate diesel dependence while improving backup power performance. 

“Aircraft operations consume significant amounts of carbon-based fuel, and there’s only so much that Airways could change there,” Bob Mount, President and CEO, Renewable Innovations noted. "But one meaningful change they could make was removing diesel generators from their facilities and replacing them with truly renewable backup power.” 

But Airways’ standards for backup power are exceptionally high. The organization’s systems support the safe movement of aircraft across national airspace. Any replacement technology would need to deliver seamless uptime, multiple layers of redundancy, remote operability, and extended runtime during possible grid failures or weather events. 

No shortcuts. No experiments disguised as infrastructure. 

The Solution: EmPower Lite™ Containerized Hybrid Hydrogen Fuel Cell & Battery Platform

To meet these requirements, Airways New Zealand selected the Renewable Innovations EmPower Lite™ hybrid hydrogen UPS platform. 

Installed at a transmission site near Wellington, the system combines hydrogen fuel cells, battery storage, intelligent power management, and on-site hydrogen production into a fully integrated renewable backup power solution. 

Technical Specifications & System Architecture

The EmPower Lite platform deployed for Airways New Zealand includes: 

• 80 kW hydrogen fuel cell system 

• 100 kWh battery energy storage 

• Integrated inverter systems 

• Renewable Innovations’ Power Management Platform™ for remote monitoring and control 

• On-site electrolyzers for hydrogen production 

• Solar and battery integration for renewable energy support 
  

Designed within a modular 10-foot containerized platform, the EmPower Lite system is scalable, transportable, and engineered specifically for remote and mission-critical applications. 

The integrated Power Management Platform™ enables operators to remotely monitor performance, manage system operations, and optimize energy flow from anywhere in the country, a critical capability for rugged or unmanned infrastructure sites. 

The system can deliver more than one week of backup power autonomy for the Newlands site, as hydrogen is being produced onsite, and the system has a large battery storage system. 

Plus, the system is quiet, clean, and incredibly easy to operate, which is a far better experience than managing diesel generators. The entire installation can be remotely monitored from anywhere in New Zealand or the world, eliminating the need for the team to go to the remote mountaintop. 

Field Validation: Uninterrupted Power During Severe Weather & Grid Outages

Not long after commissioning, the installation faced its first real-world test. 

Storms and severe weather disrupted normal grid power to the transmission site. The EmPower Lite system responded automatically, maintaining uninterrupted power to critical transmission equipment without requiring operator intervention. 

No unreliable diesel startup delays. Just continuous power. 

“When the grid power dropped during storms, the transition to the EmPower Lite was seamless,” Bob added. “The system was already online and supporting the site before anyone even had to react. That level of reliability is exactly what Airways was hoping for.” 

Key Benefits of Hybrid Hydrogen UPS over Traditional Diesel Generators

For Renewable Innovations, the Airways deployment represents more than a successful installation. It demonstrates how hybrid hydrogen systems can redefine resilience for critical infrastructure operators worldwide. 

“Hybrid energy systems like EmPower Lite are uniquely positioned to serve as both a primary power platforms and a highly resilient UPS systems for critical infrastructure,” added Mount. “By combining fuel cells, batteries, renewable generation, and intelligent controls, customers gain reliability that often exceeds traditional diesel architectures while dramatically reducing emissions and operational complexity.” 

The deployment also validates hydrogen’s growing role in backup power applications where long-duration energy storage, rapid response, and sustainability must coexist. 

Scaling Zero-Emission Backup Power Across Remote Facilities

Following the success of the Newlands deployment, Airways New Zealand is evaluating additional locations for conversion to renewable hybrid power systems. 

The organization sees hydrogen-enabled backup power as a long-term strategy for improving sustainability while strengthening operational resilience across its nationwide infrastructure network. 

And importantly, the technology is no longer theoretical. 

It is already operating in the field, quietly waiting in the background to deliver quality and reliable power. 

About Renewable Innovations

Renewable Innovations develops advanced hybrid energy systems that are clean, scalable and manageable, designed to address the power infrastructure crisis. The company’s platforms integrate hydrogen fuel cells, battery storage, renewable generation, and proprietary power management technologies to support critical infrastructure, transportation, telecommunications, defense, EV charging, and remote industrial operations. 

By combining scalable engineering with real-world operational reliability, Renewable Innovations is helping organizations transition away from grid dependency while improving energy security, uptime, and sustainability.