As wireless networking companies push to become more environmentally
friendly, CommScope,
Inc., a global leader in infrastructure solutions for communications
networks, has launched an energy conservation initiative that supports
the industry’s global efforts in reducing power consumption, greenhouse
gas emissions and operating costs.
“There’s no doubt that advanced technology and communications have
impacted the way people live, work and play,” said Anil Trehan, vice
president, Energy Solutions, CommScope. “As the demand for better,
faster services increases, the industry must also focus on how to reduce
its network power and fossil fuel consumption, greenhouse emissions,
operating costs and capital expenditures. Taking all these factors into
consideration, CommScope’s new initiative helps wireless operators lower
their energy costs and provides them with an innovative and reliable way
of powering cell sites. It also helps operators lessen their impact on
the environment.”
It is estimated that the operation of telecommunications networks is
responsible for 0.5 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.
With the wireless industry’s heightened awareness of their networks’
environmental impact, operators are seeking ways to rapidly reduce their
carbon footprint and contribute to a cleaner environment by reducing
carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are being blamed as one
of the potential causes of global climate change. This is why many
operators have set goals to reduce their energy consumption by
approximately 25 percent within the next 10 years.
“By partnering with CommScope, wireless operators have the ability to
save an average of $5,000 per site, per year on energy consumption,”
Trehan said. “In a 100-site network, that is an annual savings of
$500,000. With more than one million cell sites around the world,
operators can make significant reductions to their energy costs.”
To achieve many of these “green” goals, wireless operators can invest in
clean and reliable backup power generators, remote shelter monitoring,
amplifier upgrades, shelter cooling and hybrid cooling systems through
CommScope’s new initiative.
Backup Power Solution
Backup generators at cell sites are commonly powered by diesel fuel, and
its exhaust contains greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide. As
fossil fuel prices continue to rise, telecommunication companies are
searching for an alternative to diesel-powered generators that are more
reliable and have less of an impact on the environment. By deploying a hydrogen
fuel cell power solution from CommScope, operators can reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and power consumption at cell sites. Unlike
diesel generators that emit greenhouse gases, the only by-products of
hydrogen fuel cells are heat and water. With four fuel cell backup
solutions available (5-, 8-, 10- and 16-kilowatts), operators no longer
require diesel generators to provide backup power, thereby reducing
their dependence on fossil fuels. In addition to having a clean,
reliable and stable power source, operators can also reduce the amount
of truck rolls dispatched to a cell site for repairs and diesel fuel
delivery. In most cases, the base electronics can also be integrated
inside the fuel cell cabinet, which further reduces capital and
operational costs of a site.
Remote Monitoring
Surveillance systems can be used to monitor security at cell cites.
Operators now have an easier way to remotely monitor security, the
temperature inside a shelter, fuel levels and other vital parameters
using one solution. This intelligent remote site management system can
determine false alarms, and raise and lower a shelter’s temperature from
one single location. By adopting the OneBase
InSite® Connect solution from CommScope, operators now have the
flexibility to monitor and perform certain repairs and maintenance from
a remote location. The solution can also be used to change the
electrical tilt on a base station antenna to dynamically adjust the
antenna coverage remotely. This simple change to a company’s day-to-day
operations can also save money on truck rolls, fuel costs and reduce
carbon dioxide emissions. Wireless operators typically save
approximately $3,500 per site, per year on energy costs by using a
remote monitoring solution.
Multi-Carrier Power Amplifiers for Integrated BTS Applications
In markets where wireless subscriptions are increasing at a rapid pace,
stronger amplifiers are needed to provide better coverage. Wireless
operators can upgrade their base stations and provide better coverage
while at the same time using less power. Compared to traditional
technology for power amplification when upgrading a cellular site,
operators who use Multi-Carrier
Power Amplifiers for Integrated BTS Applications can reduce their
overall cell site power load by as much as 20 to 30 percent. This
alternative provides operators with a cost competitive solution and
maintains stringent, system-level performance criteria without effecting
wireless coverage.
Shelter Cooling
Base station electronics housed in shelters are typically cooled with
air-conditioning units, which consume considerable electricity to
provide the ideal environment inside the shelter. Installations of
CommScope’s free-air cooling solutions have shown a reduction of
approximately 25 percent in overall power consumption in a variety of
climates. By partnering with CommScope to design the proper free-air
cooling system for a shelter—using either two or four DC powered
fans—operators can also choose filter specifications that meet their
desired standard for air quality. If a hydrogen fuel cell is installed
at the site, neither the site nor the cooling system will lose power
during any event of a grid power outage.
Hybrid Cooling Solution
While in operation, all electronics produce waste heat. To keep the
electronics operational, they must be cooled. A direct air/heat
exchanger, designed with variable speed fans, consume less power than
existing air-conditioning cabinets while providing sufficient
electronics and battery cooling. Operators can protect their equipment
by working with CommScope to devise a hybrid cooling solution that
reduces a site’s cooling costs by approximately 85 percent when compared
to traditional enclosure air conditioning.
Wireless operators can learn more about CommScope’s new energy
conservation initiative this week during the 2011
International Telecommunications Energy Conference, October 9-13 in
Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The Conference will be held at the
Passengers Terminal Amsterdam, and CommScope will exhibit at Booth No.
1.40. The new 5-kilowatt fuel cell will be on display and available for
demonstrations.
InSite is a registered trademark of CommScope, Inc.
To view the solutions that are part of CommScope’s energy conservation
initiative, please go to CommScope’s Flickr
page.
About CommScope
CommScope (www.commscope.com)
has played a role in virtually all the world’s best communication
networks. We create the infrastructure that connects people and
technologies through every evolution. Our portfolio of end-to-end
solutions includes critical infrastructure our customers need to build
high-performing wired and wireless networks. As much as technology
changes, our goal remains the same: to help our customers create,
innovate, design, and build faster and better. We’ll never stop
connecting and evolving networks for the business of life at home, at
work, and on the go.
This press release includes forward-looking statements that are based on
information currently available to management, management’s beliefs, as
well as on a number of assumptions concerning future events.
Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are
subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, which could
cause the actual results to differ materially from those currently
expected. In providing forward-looking statements, the company does not
intend, and is not undertaking any obligation or duty, to update these
statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
