Introduction
Introduction to Renewable Energy for the Global Telecom Industry
The last decade has seen exponential growth in wireless communication. The growth of mobile networks coupled with intense competition has sharpened operators' focus on deployment logistics, security, and cost. One challenge is how to power the telecommunication networks. Poor power grid availability, challenging terrain, and potential theft, add to the cost of traditional fuel based power systems. In addition, legislative pressures and the potential for Carbon trading revenues are causing the Mobile Telecommunications Industry to become mindful of its impact on carbon emissions. "Green" considerations are coming into prominence in network design.
Both existing, new off-grid sites and sites in regions of unreliable grid power have experienced substantially increased costs during the last two years. The average price of diesel has risen more than 50% in many locations within the past year, and contributes to a significant portion of operating costs for operators. The sustained rise of global energy prices is a direct contributor to these costs.
Wind and solar powered sites need minimal maintenance and they are also relatively easy and inexpensive to install. Renewable power sources are an excellent choice for many emerging markets, because they contribute to the low total cost of ownership that is vital for providing affordable communications services to subscribers. With increasing oil prices, payback times on the investment to hybrid solar-wind powered base station sites are continuously decreasing. Considering capital expenditure and operational cost, an autonomous site powered by renewable energy sources pays off after two to four years in a good sunny and/or windy location.
Studies made by the GSMA Development Fund shows that Solar and wind technologies (including solar and wind hybrids) are currently the most attractive technologies for powering base station sites.
The future growth indicates that 350 000 sites by 2012 (GSMA) will be driven mainly by a combination of wind and solar.
