The use of solar and wind systems to power remote mobile stations is growing rapidly rate and will account for 4.5% of all base stations by 2014, a research report says.
Renewables today power just 0.11% of mobile cell sites worldwide, according to cleantech research firm Pike Research.
It forecasts that in four years 8% of mobile base stations in developing countries will be renewable-powered.
The use of clean and renewable energy in off-grid locations is vastly more cost-effective than diesel or other fossil fuel sources, which require regular long-distance truck rolls and continued spending on fuel.
“As solar and wind equipment become more cost-effective in the next few years, renewable energy will be an increasingly attractive option for base station power, in combination with batteries and fuel cells,” said Pike Research managing director Clint Wheelock.
He said mobile network infrastructure equipment was rapidly becoming more energy-efficient, owing to a series of initiatives by equipment vendors and network operators.
Nokia Siemens Networks was the first major vendor to go to market with a solar-powered base station three years ago. Today, all major vendors offer renewable-powered base stations, enabling operators to expand their networks to previously unviable areas, as well as helping them cut carbon emissions and operating cost.
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