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Green Mobile Networks Poised to Radically Reduce CO2 Emissions
Green Technology Featured Articles
July 22, 2009

Green Mobile Networks Poised to Radically Reduce CO2 Emissions

By Erin Harrison
Executive Editor, Strategic Initiatives

Mobile operators have the opportunity to significantly reduce base station carbon dioxide emissions by 2014 if so-called “transformational strategies” are put in place to reduce both site inefficiencies and non-renewable energy sources, a new study says.

 
According to Juniper Research’s (News - Alert) green mobile base stations report, total base station emissions would peak in 2010 to 22 megatons and fall to 15.6 megatons by 2014, reaching a 30 percent reduction under the transformational model, which calls for operators to invest “substantially” in power reduction in the base station, and place greater emphasis on addressing issues such as cooling, network planning and power management.
Juniper’s research also found that if an incremental approach was adopted – where operators and vendors do not become fully proactive in pursuing green policies, above and beyond delivering short- or medium-term objectives outlined within current corporate social responsibility documentation – emissions would rise at an average annual rate of more than 6 percent over the next five years to nearly 35 mega tons. 
“There is both an environmental and economic incentive for network operators to migrate to renewable energy,” said the report’s author, Windsor Holden. “Greater reliance on diesel will not only result in an increase of CO2 emissions, but also – given the rising price at the pump allied to fuel transport costs – a level of OPEX (News - Alert) which is simply not sustainable in the longer term.”

Holden has written extensively on mobile content, emerging telecoms markets and digital TV. He noted that while global mobile base stations were responsible for around 22 megatons of CO2 emissions, U.S. road vehicles alone were responsible for more than 1,000 megatons of emissions in 2008.
 
Fueling the potential for financial gain for network operators, a recent study by ABI Research found that close to 50 percent of respondents are partially, or very likely to be, or comprehensively influenced by a vendor’s green initiatives that are seen as significant differentiators at the time of selecting and purchasing services or devices. 

“From an economic perspective, carriers in markets where access to grid electricity is limited or unreliable currently rely largely on diesel generators for their off-grid electricity,” Holden explained. “In most of these markets, diesel is not only expensive at the pump, but when other costs are factored in such as transport and security the effective cost per kWh is prohibitive; given that consumer ARPU is relatively low in many of these markets, and given that many of these networks are committed to significant programs of base station deployment, electricity as a percentage of operator-billed revenue will rapidly rise to an unsustainable level unless there is a transition to renewable energy. Therefore, such operators need to consider options such as solar power, wind energy, biodiesel or, where practicable, pico-hydro-power.”
 
England’s Environment Parliament recently issued a clarion call for 10 percent reduction of CO2 emissions in London by the end of 2010, deeming it the “10 x 10 challenge," at the recent London School of Economics Summit meet.
 
The Juniper Research report also stresses the need for networks that are reliant on off-grid electricity to utilize renewable resources rather than diesel-powered generators, arguing that not only do the deployment of environmentally sustainable solutions substantial erode carbon footprints but also result in a dramatic reduction in operating costs.

Erin Harrison is a Senior Editor with TMC. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Michael Dinan



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