Dialog Telekom to Deploy Solar and Wind-Powered Base Stations in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan operator, Dialog Telekom is to deploy ten solar and wind-powered base stations in the country. The trial, which will deploy five off-grid and five on-grid base stations, has seen two sites go live this month and a further eight sites will go live in March and April this year. The goal of the trial is to use a number of different scenarios with equipment from eight different vendors to test  the range of options available and the commercial viability of rolling out mobile networks using renewable forms of energy.

Up to now, off-grid base stations have primarily been powered by generators running on diesel fuel, which is increasingly expensive, generates carbon dioxide emissions, and can be difficult to transport to remote locations. There are also issues with the reliability of the electricity grid in Sri Lanka, so the trial will also investigate powering on-grid base stations, during downtime, with renewable energy.

"Being able to utilise practical, cost effective and renewable sources of power is crucial for operators wanting to provide a broad range of mobile coverage, over vast rural areas, far beyond the reach of national electricity grids," said Michael O'Hara, chief marketing officer for the GSMA. "Dialog Telekom, as part of the GSMA's Green Power for Mobile programme, has used a number of different scenarios to prove to the industry that renewable energy is a real and viable alternative to on-grid and generator power."

The eight vendors chosen to provide the technology for the trial include BP Solar for solar panels, Southwest Windpower, Bergey Windpower, Proven Energy and Kestrel for wind turbines, PowerOasis for power controllers and remote monitoring technology, and Exide Technologies and BYD for batteries.

"We have consistently striven to extend modern technology access to rural communities and thereby enrich lives," said Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Group Chief Operating Officer of TM International Berhad and Group Chief Executive of Dialog Telekom PLC. "Social and environmental responsibilities matter to Dialog Telekom as much as economic performance, and this trial epitomises this commitment to integrate sustainability into our operations."

The GSMA's Green Power for Mobile programme, launched last year, is backed by 25 mobile operators and has built up a deep pool of expertise in selecting the ideal combination of renewable energy sources to suit local conditions. The programme aims to help the mobile industry to take advantage of renewable energy to power 118,000 new and existing off-grid base stations in developing countries by 2012. Today less than 2,000 base stations worldwide are powered by renewable energy sources.

Posted to the site on 19th February 2009