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Green Telecom

1.       Green World

There has been a considerable increase in the average temperature of earth in the past century. This rise in temperature is attributed to the effects of global warming brought about by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The main culprit is the increased energy consumption which results in emission of pollutants particularly CO2 emissions. The natural calamities like typhoons, floods and changes in the sea levels are attributed to the CO2 fueled greenhouse effect. It is estimated that during the last 30 years the CO2 emissions have gone up by 73%.

The Kyoto Protocol, 1997, a UN agreement, which was signed by more than 160 countries including India, urges all countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5% from their 1990 levels by 2012 or pay a price. India is ranked fifth globally in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Many governments worldwide including India have taken action to cut energy consumption and emissions. India has committed to a reduction of 20-25% in carbon intensity from 2005 levels by 2020 through mandatory fuel efficiency standards.

The total quantum of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event or product is known as carbon footprint. It is expressed in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide or its equivalent of other GHGs emitted.

A carbon credit refers to one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions avoided by the adoption of a certain practice when compared with a business-as-usual scenario. The ultimate goal for all companies is to become carbon-neutral, and the only way for most companies to achieve a zero footprint is through carbon offsets, which are essentially financial representations of a reduction in greenhouse gases. The Kyoto Protocol allows carbon offsets as a way for countries or corporations to earn carbon credits that they can then trade in an open market. After achieving carbon neutral, the companies are encouraged to make money by selling their credits to other companies which are not carbon neutral.

World Bank is playing a major role in the carbon credit market and has rolled out Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) or carbon trading in 2000. The concept of carbon trading arrived in India in 2002, and since then India has developed an attractive CDM portfolio with a market share close to 12%.

 2.     Green Telecom

It is estimated that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector accounts for 2% of global carbon emissions. Mobile telecom companies burn 2 billion litres of diesel every year to operate 33000 towers across India.  Nearly 50% of the towers are in rural India where availability of power is a major problem. It is either not available or supply is erratic. Even though the industry generates less pollution and tends to be relatively clean, it has its share of social responsibility by conserving energy and reducing emissions. The telecom industry requires energy to power and cool their BTS sites. The rapid growth of telecom industry during the last 10 years has resulted in increased energy costs and corresponding increase in CO2 emissions which is adversely affecting the environment.

The greenhouse gas emissions from the telecommunication industry arise mainly on account of the following.

a.    Energy consumed by the network equipment like mobile towers, switches, data centers, site offices

b.    Emissions associated with the manufacturing and deployment of network equipment

c.    Energy consumed by mobile handsets and other devices, when they are manufactured, distributed and used

The Indian telecom industry is consuming around 2 billion litres of diesel every year for maintaining its mobile towers. Every litre of diesel emits about 2.7 kg of C02. The consumption will go up further when the new operators launch their services and the existing operators expand their network further to launch 3G and BWA services. India currently has around 330,000 towers, and the number is expected to increase to 450,000 towers in the next three years

'Going green' is now a necessity for telecom operators, as energy expenses constitute nearly 25% of the total network costs. As the margins are under pressure, it is imperative for the telecom operators to cut down the energy costs through efficient power management methods.

3.     Reasons for the high energy cost

a.   The BTS equipments are still indoor type needing air conditioning and the shelter temperature to be maintained in the 22 – 25 degree Celsius range.

b.    BTSs are dependent on power supply from state electricity boards as the primary source with diesel generators as standby source and storage batteries as secondary source. Power supply from the state electricity boards particularly in states like UP, Haryana, Rajasthan etc is either not available, or inadequate and erratic. Nearly 30% of the mobile towers in India do not have supply from the grid. Due to the frequent load shedding which extends up to 20 hours every day in some power-starved states and voltage fluctuations, the telecom operators use the standby diesel generator sets extensively. In many places, particularly in rural India, the sites are run only on diesel generators.

c.   Prices of petroleum products are continuously increasing and telecom operators are struggling to control diesel thefts at mobile towers.

4.     Methods to mitigate carbon footprint in telecom sector

a.   Introduction of energy efficient technologies like installing next generation TRX hardware both in new BTS as well as replacing older ones

b.   Development of alternative projects, such as solar or wind energy

c.   Recycling of waste material including non usable network materials and mobile phones. These elements contain small amount of hazardous materials which will harm the environment if mismanaged at the time of disposal.

d.   Creating an awareness among the service provider, manufacturer and tower companies

e.   Minimize the number of BTS sites through more site sharing

f.   Increased use of outdoor BTS which does not require air-conditioning

g.  Minimize the air-conditioning requirement to cool the sites

h.  Deploy software features that optimize the use of radio access for wireless communications.

i.   Remotely monitoring diesel generator runtime and fuel consumption

j.  Vendors to deploy energy efficient network

k. Standardization of telecom equipment. For example the standardization of mobile charger will considerably reduce the number of chargers currently used in the country.

There is a need to monitor and report the actual carbon foot print across the telecom industry under various segments like service providers, tower companies and equipment manufacturers.

 5.     Support required from Government

In order to reduce the use of diesel, the Government should ensure increased and assured grid power supply to all BTS installations. This will reduce the installation of diesel generators and consumption of diesel by the telecom industry.

Even though various proposals for the reduction of energy consumption are evaluated by the telecom industry, they could not implement them due to high cost involved. A solar panel needed to power a tower costs around Rs 28 lacs.The non-conventional energy sources (solar, wind and biofuels) are very expensive. The Government needs to support the industry through subsidy or incentive for investing in alternative energy projects like solar and wind energy. Tax incentive and clear carbon credit policy are the other measures which will help the telecom industry to go green faster.

DoT has recently proposed to provide multiple subsidies and incentives to encourage use of renewable energy. One such proposal includes a 30% subsidy from the ministry of renewable energy on the total cost of making 200 towers eco friendly in a certain area.The subsidy would also be extended for 250 towers in areas afected by Maoist violence.

DoT is targetting bring a reduction of around 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and an estimated savings of $1.4 billion (Rs 6260 cr) in operating expenses for telecom tower companies. 

6. Action taken by the telecom industry

The other operators are experimenting with alternative source of energy like wind power solar and bio fuels.  Idea has launched a project in Maharashtra's Latur district where 28 telecom towers are running on bio fuel. Bharati has rolled out pilot projects in Bihar and UPusing solar power nd bio diesel. Many operators are waiting for the government to disburse a 50% subsidy on solar panels which was announced in the national budget.

7.     To sum up

Telecoms sector must join other industries in going green and implement innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions. Going green also makes good business sense in terms of lower operational costs, which is the need of the hour when the industry margins are under pressure. For telecom operators, environmental responsibility, lower costs and reaching into remote areas are the three energy efficiency drivers. By reducing the energy consumption in the network and deploying alternative energy solutions, the telecom industry will greatly reduce its impact on the environment and achieve the goal of becoming carbon neutral.

About the Author

The author can be reached at vsmoni@hotmail.com. visit indiatelecomonline.com for more articles

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