Telia trials hydrogen power for mobile sites

In the event of a major power outage mobile sites can usually keep operating for another four hours, we’re told, however the hydrogen pilot is supposed to extend this to 110 days.

The trials took place at a Telia site outside Stockholm, Sweden, and combined  hydrogen, fuel cells, solar cells and batteries to ‘dramatically’ lengthen the site’s operating time when running on backup power. As a rule mobile sites use only batteries and diesel generators as secondary power supplies, says the release.

The Roslagen project, as it’s called, is being financed by the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority and is planned to conclude in December 2025. Alongside Telia, Euromekanik, Powercell, Polarium and Soltech are also involved in putting it together.  

This is the first time that this combination of energy sources has been tested for a mobile site, claims Telia, and the hydrogen used can be produced on-site using renewable energy, and then stored locally until required.

“The demand for connectivity, along with the current geopolitical situation, mean mobile sites must be available even during longer power outages,” said Staffan Åkesson, Head of Infrastructure at Telia Swede. “We’re very pleased with the insights this project has already given us. They can be decisive in developing robust, sustainable solutions that help meet today’s challenges while future-proofing our infrastructure.”

Last week, Telia announced the completion of a restructuring plan which amongst other things saw 3,000 staff go across its operations. It now has a decentralised organisation, meaning its individual country operations are largely responsible for their own affairs.