GSMA and IFC announce Green Power for Mobile project targeting off-grid operators in developing markets

GSMA and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have announced the Green Power for Mobile (GPM) project, targeting operators in developing markets which may operate in some areas in the off-grid environment. So far, these operators relied on diesel aggregators for powering their cellular stations in remote areas that don’t have access to the power grid. In that sense, GSMA and IFC propose development and utilizing of clean energy resources and technologies, which would provide power to those stations.

The GSMA aims its efforts at 118,000 off-grid renewable energy base stations that will be installed by 2012. Under this program, not only CO2 emissions will be reduced, but the manufacturing capacity of renewable energy industry will also be increased.

However, according to ABI Research, there is more opportunity in the on-grid cellular station market, which could get energy from wind or solar technologies. More than 200,000 of these stations is expected to be installed by 2013. This is not to say there’s no business in the off-grid market — quite the contrary, carriers could cut their costs by replacing diesel aggregators with renewable energy technologies.

Hopefully, GSMA’s and IFC’s idea will spread around the globe and soon enough we’ll have more leaner and cleaner mobile operators offering their services even in remotest parts of the planet.

[Via: renewbl]