Maharashtra Energy Development Agency Suggests Use of Solar Power in Cell Phone Towers

A recent study from Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA), mentions that the 250,000 cell phone towers erected all over India discharge an astounding five million tons of carbon dioxide every year by utilizing the diesel generators installed to power their functions.

The report suggests for an urgent need to power the towers with solar panels to do away with the diesel consumption.

According to the report, each of the cell towers consume around 3 to 5 kilowatts of power reckoning  the number of operators connected to the tower and every year they utilize around two billion liters of diesel to manage the functions of the tower. In addition to supplying electricity to the towers, the generators are also utilized to keep the connected equipment and nearby hubs in cool condition. The report also indicates that the towers consume more diesel power to continue their function without interruption all through the year. The report mentions that currently many telecom operators are trying to expand their network in more rural areas and this will lead in the construction of more number of towers thus resulting in an increase in diesel usage.

The report suggests that introduction of renewable energy sources such as solar to power the cell phone towers will reduce the huge spending on diesel usage and in turn will result in reduction of carbon discharges.