Utilizing financial assistance granted by the Department of Energy (DOE), Sprint (News - Alert) will be installing hydrogen fuel cell technology as backup power for its rooftop network sites.
By opting for a sustainable power source, Sprint looks to enjoy lower maintenance, cleaner energy, enhanced coverage and the capability to increase network survivability during power outages.
Bob Azzi (News - Alert), chief network officer at Sprint, remarked, “We are excited to once again partner with the DOE to bring a new fuel cell technology solution to the market. To date, we’ve deployed approximately 500 hydrogen fuel cells in our network. This technology will provide backup power for our network and could extend to other industries as well.”
A fuel cell is a device that produces energy from hydrogen fuel obtained from electrolysis of water– a process does not emit any form of greenhouse gas. Since hydrogen can be obtained everywhere, generation of fuel can be widely distributed, which can result in a decentralized and stable power grid.
Back in 2005, Sprint began deploying fuel cell technology to its ground-based networks, and that effort too was supported by the DOE.
Sprint is working to reduce its GHG emissions by a total of 20 percent by 2017, and its rooftop cell sites occupy over 25 percent of the company’s total network locations. Among these rooftop sites, 30 percent are in major metropolitan areas. With hydrogen fuel cells, Sprint can realize a much cleaner alternative to diesel-powered backup generators for its sites. Sprint is hopeful to begin installing the hydrogen fuel cell solution by the end of 2014.
Edited by Blaise McNamee