DG Uses for Cellular Networks

Cellular networks rely on radio towers or base stations that convert electricity into radio waves and need a constant supply of energy to operate. In developed areas, base stations are easily connected to a main power grid for a reliable energy supply. In developing areas however, 1.6 billion people lack access to grid electricity and an additional one billion people have unreliable electricity. Though providers have relied largely on diesel powered generators to power off-grid and unreliable grid base stations, it is becoming increasingly apparent that this is not the optimal solution for off-grid power.

Mobile Communications is one of the great means of information sharing and knowledge acquisition. Unfortunately, the 1.6 billion population of the world do not have this luxury. In today’s world access information is essential for economic growth, yet a study by Deloitte1 commissioned by the GSMA (GSM Association) suggests that access rates in developing countries often lag more than 20 years behind those in the developed world [12]. To address this challenge, GSMA launched a program called Green Power for Mobile (GPM) program in September 2008 to “extend mobile beyond the grid.” In just over a year reasonable activities have to take place across the world to make it a reality. Thus, the mobile industry is in a great position to reduce the....

Cellular networks rely on radio towers or base stations that convert electricity into radio waves and need a constant supply of energy to operate. In developed areas, base stations are easily connected to a main power grid for a reliable energy supply. In developing areas however, 1.6 billion people lack access to grid electricity and an additional one billion people have unreliable electricity. Though providers have relied largely on diesel powered generators to power off-grid and unreliable grid base stations, it is becoming increasingly apparent that this is not the optimal solution for off-grid power.

Information and communications technology usage has grown at a staggering rate worldwide with an estimated 6 billion subscriptions in 2010. Every year, about 120,000 new base stations are deployed, serving 400 million new mobile subscribers around the world. Illustrates the growth pattern for mobile cellular subscriptions between 2000 and 2010.

Several developing economies are increasingly turning to wireless as a leap-frog technology bypassing fixed infrastructure, thereby, resulting in a tenfold increase in mobile subscriptions. From 2000 until 2010, mobile subscriptions in developed regions increased by about 200%, whereas that in developing regions increased by about 1300%. Statistics also show that, in 2000, about 40% of all mobile subscriptions were attributed to the developing world and in 2009 this percentage grew to about 70%. Mobile communications growth in developing countries may have a more alarming effect on carbon usage and energy costs due to the use of inefficient energy sources. Remote sites prevalent in developing regions often rely on inefficient diesel generators for power, expanding the communication industry’s carbon footprint at an even higher rate. A low power urban cell site requires 3kW of power (70-80kWh of energy for a 24-hour operation) and generates an estimated 11 tons of carbon dioxide. Many rural base stations utilize significantly more power than urban areas due to the larger coverage area required from each site.