T-Mobile Tests Hydrogen Powered Base Station

T-Mobile Hungary has commissioned the first base station in the country to be operated with hydrogen based PEM cells. T-Mobile (Magyar Telekom) says that the only other trials of hydrogen based PEM cells to power base stations have only been carried out with a few base stations in Sweden so far.

The PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) cell uses hydrogen gas, generating positive hydrogen ions and free electrons on the membrane. Electric energy can be generated from the electrons, while hydrogen ions merge with oxygen of the air, leaving the cell as water. The PEM cells transform energy silently, without using any moving parts or harmful materials - therefore the life cycle of the cell is extremely long.

The engineering team of T-Mobile contacted an American company which develops PEM cells, and - by involving other foreign and Hungarian companies - managed to integrate the 5kW output equipment offered by the American company into the system. Based on the success of the intelligent ventilation system, by applying this solution alternative energy supply can be achieved, decreasing energy consumption.

Magyar Telekom says that it plans on a wide-ranging application of the PEM technology, primarily in the field of emergency power supply as well as in all technical areas, where it may offer a realistic return on the investment by reducing energy consumption and operation costs.

Posted to the site on 11th November 2008