GREEN Options: Solar has so far emerged as the most preferred of renewable technology on offer primary because of the availability of abundant sunlight across the country.
Other alternative are also being adopted. Wind turbines for example, are particularly relevant in areas with significant wind velocities. Moreover, operators are also adopting Solar-Wind hybrid solutions, which help lower fossil fuel consumptions by up to 80 % . Base stations powered by such solutions other economically viable alternatives since they lower both operating and maintenance expenditures.
Companies are also undertaking R&D activities for producing bio-fuels from renewable energy sources, such as agriculture waste and residues , to power existing diesel genets . Other solutions like fuel cell systems are also being adopted. Theses help to replace batteries and DGs in urban areas. “Fuel cell” is a generic term encompassing a wide range of technologies that typically work by transforming the chemical energy of a fuel (usually Hydrogen) directly into electrical energy. Fuel cells can generate power ranging from 1 watt (Cell Phone) to several megawatts (Small Industries). Hydrogen itself can be extracted in many different ways from different sources.
Operator Initiatives
All telecom operators as well as tower companies in India have started installing and experimenting with various alternative power solutions.
One of the pioneers in this area was IDEA Cellular, which partnered with Ericsson and GSMA’s Development fund to develop bio- fuels as a power source for wireless networks in rural India. In a pilot project, such fuels were used to power mobile base stations in Latur , Maharashtra , where grid power is highly unreliable .
Presently Idea Cellular is experimenting with hybrid solar solutions it has begun with 20 sites at present and intends to take it to 500 eventually. Another initiative from Idea is to have a higher number of outdoor base stations (BTSs) as they consume relatively lesser energy compared to indoor BTSs.
Another initiative was undertaken by Reliance Communication, which installed windmills on its towers at Kunustara and Murugathal in West Bengal. Moreover the operator also approached SPV module manufacturers for powering cell sites using Solar Power.
It is currently exploring the feasibility of using solar energy in areas where an electric connection is not available. RCOM has also deployed Bio-Fuel plants to run its rural telecom networks in several areas. Bharti , which was the 2nd largest buyer of diesel after Indian Railways till 2007 , when it spun off its cellular towers into a separate entity ( Indus Tower ) , has already conducted trials using wind power for its sites in coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh , Orissa and west Bengal . It has also conducted some pilot projects on Solar Power and bio-fuels.
Bharti infratel has already installed 500 Solar sites on ground and is planning to take this to 2,000 soon .
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