E-Plus deploys off grid base station in Germany

German operator E-Plus has claimed a first for a mature market, setting up an off grid base station powered by a combination of sun and wind.

E-Plus tapped Nokia Siemens Networks to roll out the green site, which the carrier has implemented as part of its environmentally friendly initiative to increase energy efficiency by five per cent by the year 2012, and by 20 per cent by the year 2020.

The site relies on a combination of solar and wind power, supported by fuel cell and deep cycle battery technology and incorporates a solar tracking system, which follows the sun and turns the maximum surface of the solar panels toward it, to increase solar energy production for the site operation. The deployment also enables the operator to remotely maintain and install new software remotely, which obviates the necessity of visiting base station sites, thereby further preventing CO2 emissions.
“With this innovative energy concept, we show how mobile phone transmission sites can become carbon neutral,” said Rafal Markiewicz, chief technology officer of E-Plus Group, adding that ABI Research has found that 86 per cent of the energy needed by an operator is consumed by its networks.