Renewable energy powered Vodacom mobile broadband at COP17
Nokia Siemens Networks used wind, sun and fuel cell with battery back-up to power service
Vodacom South Africa and Nokia Siemens Networks provided zero-carbon emission mobile broadband at COP17* climate change conference in Durban, November 28 to December 09. Nokia Siemens Networks installed its energy-efficient base station, powered by its complete green energy solution, to help Vodacom meet the surge in the traffic caused by conference visitors.
This base station was running purely on renewable energy without any connection to grid. This implementation was part of a global initiative from the Vodafone Site Solution Innovation Centre (SSIC)**, in which Nokia Siemens Networks is a key partner for mobile infrastructure site solutions.
The installation at COP17 was one of two provided by Nokia Siemens Networks as part of Vodafone’s SSIC. The other has been implemented in Canelands, South Africa.
At the COP17, Nokia Siemens Networks built a green mobile site by deploying its award-winning, energy-efficient Flexi Multiradio Base Station and complete energy solution on a trailer***. It used a combination of solar energy and wind power, supported by fuel cells and a deep cycle battery, to provide seamless broadband connectivity for the event.
At Canelands, Nokia Siemens Networks has reconfigured a legacy site that was previously running permanently on a diesel generator. After completion of the site implementation and change in the operational mode by end of this year, it will start drawing energy from solar foils mounted on the existing tower and from a vertical wind turbine at its top. In addition, an optimized cooling concept for a modernized single radio access network that supports various technologies is already in use. This site solution will ensure both minimum energy requirements and an enormous reduction in diesel consumption while increasing the use of renewable energy sources.
Nokia Siemens Networks’ Green Energy Controller manages all energy sources efficiently at base station sites, helping Vodacom reduce maintenance costs and carbon emissions. The controller is managed by Nokia Siemens Networks’ NetAct network management platform. This platform allows Vodacom to remotely maintain and install new software, removing the need for frequent site visits and therefore further reducing carbon emissions from vehicles.
“It is encouraging to see that our partnership with Nokia Siemens Networks, in line with our SSIC initiative, is helping us implement innovative base station site solutions. These solutions help us save operational costs and achieve our green target by reducing carbon emissions,” said Steve Pusey, Group CTO, Vodafone.
In 2008, the Vodafone Group set a target to cuts its carbon emissions in half by 2020 compared to its fiscal year 2006-07 baseline. In May this year, the group also set an additional target in emerging markets to reduce carbon emissions by 20% per network node by March 2015 compared to fiscal year 2010-11 baseline.
“We are committed to providing superior mobile broadband infrastructure that also improves energy efficiency and reduces carbon emissions,” said Bosco Novak, head of Global Services, Nokia Siemens Networks. “Our participation in Vodafone’s SSIC initiative is in line with our focus on innovation within our mobile broadband business. In addition, our cooperation with Vodafone SSIC provides us opportunities to understand the operator’s needs and further improve the quality of our site solutions.”
Nokia Siemens Networks and Vodafone are working on various projects to reduce diesel consumption and carbon emissions at hundreds of sites around the world by implementing green energy solutions.
For more information on Nokia Siemens Networks’ energy solution, please click here.
About Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland. www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
Nokia Siemens Networks
Carlyle Fernandez
Corporate Communications – Africa
Phone: +971 55 5538241
E-mail: carlyle.fernandez@nsn.com
Media Relations
Phone: +358 7180 31451
E-mail: mediarelations@nsn.com
Vodacom
Corporate Communications Office
E-mail: mediarelations@vodacom.co.za
*Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol, are now in progress in Durban, South Africa from November 28 – December 09, 2011. Since the UNFCCC entered into force in 1995, the COP has been meeting annually to assess progress in dealing with climate change.
**Under its global SSIC initiative, Vodafone and its affiliate Vodacom South Africa, established ‘Vodafone Site Solution Innovation Centre (SSIC)’ at Midrand, Johannesburg. The center has broken new ground in South Africa by achieving the first ever 6-star Green Star SA rating. In this Vodafone global initiative SSIC, Nokia Siemens Networks is a key partner for innovations in mobile infrastructure site solution.
***BSS Boray, which provides services in GSM shelter field, made the trailer construction.
