Cell-phone service provider Sprint announced that it is taking steps to “reinforce its network reliability with alternative fuel sources that are reliable and renewable.” Sprint is actively testing and deploying sustainable and renewable energy sources at wireless sites across the country. Bob Azzi, senior vice president of field engineering and operations for Sprint, says the company is proactively working to deploy energy solutions that are sustainable, renewable and, environmentally friendly in our wireless network, both for primary energy sources and for backup power.”
In keeping with its commitment to corporate responsibility to the environment, Sprint is working to incorporate renewable energy sources into its network, and ultimately contribute to reducing its carbon footprint. This is also reflected in Sprint’s partnership in the EPA’s Climate Leaders program, an industry-government partnership aimed at developing long-term comprehensive corporate climate-change strategies.
Among the energy alternatives Sprint is working with: hydrogen fuel cells, solar and wind power. Hydrogen fuel cells have been deployed at more than 200 Sprint cell sites across the country and are meant to help Sprint maintain service in the event of severe or extended power outages. Spring says hydrogen fuel cells “have emerged as an alternative to traditional backup power sources, such as lead-acid batteries and noisy diesel generators.”
After testing solar-powered back-up power in California, Sprint expects to deploy it in New York as well, the company says. Solar-powered back-up power is used to amplify signals on Sprint’s fiber-optic backbone, and also can feed excess power back into the electrical grid.
Sprint soon will install a wind turbine on its corporate campus in Overland Park, Kan., to allow testing of wind as a potential power source for cell sites and other network uses. The company is also testing geothermal cooling at select cell sites, as well as the use of flow batteries.
I’d be interested to compare what Sprint is doing in the alt-energy area with what is being done by AT&T Wireless (formerly Cingular), Verizon and other wireless service providers. I’m no wireless engineer, but it seems to me that a service that depends on a broad network of cell towers would benefit in increased reliability if its power sources were similarly diversified and distributed.
And wouldn’t cell towers be a great spot for small solar panels and wind turbines?
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Sprint should be commended for their leadership in searching for renewable energy sources to support their network.
Recently, there has been so much attention highlighting hydrogen fuel cell research in the automotive industry that it is easy to forget how prevalent hydrogen is in other industries today. Telecommunications, for one, is utilizing hydrogen fuel cell technology as a power source. The use of stationary hydrogen fuel cell power is one of the first steps in the wider use of hydrogen. Using hydrogen fueled power supplies are safe, energy efficient and can provide benefits to the environment, energy security and the economy. [Insert research study that has proven it is safe and efficient, or use/link to NHA hydrogen safety fact sheet]
Sprint is deploying and testing other alternative energy solutions as well, such as wind and solar. It should not be forgotten that wind and solar can be used to generate hydrogen as a fuel—storing renewable energy when the wind is blowing and the sun is shining for later use or perhaps emergencies. Storing solar and wind energy as hydrogen can allow Sprint and other telecommunications companies to use that power more reliably, when it is needed most. And the power will still be emission-free! Renewable and hydrogen make a great combination.
For further information about hydrogen technologies and applications, please visit the National Hydrogen Association, the premier source for information on hydrogen and hydrogen technologies. http://www.HydrogenAssociation.org