Smart launches solar-powered cell towers
Smart Communications Inc. is rolling out solar-powered cellular towers in off-grid areas across the Philippines as the PLDT wireless unit moves to wean itself from reliance on diesel.
This starts with 20 leased sites and will be done in partnership with independent tower company EdgePoint Towers Inc., which is deploying the solarized sites.
Smart said the towers will have installed solar capacity of more than 181 kilowatts-peak and battery capacity exceeding 20,000 ampere-hours.
Once completed, the sites are expected to reduce diesel consumption by around 198,000 liters annually. They will also help avoid about 545 tons of carbon emissions each year, according to Smart.
The telco said replacing diesel with solar energy as the towers’ main power source would also help cut the cost of transporting fuel to remote areas.
PLDT chief operating officer Menardo Jimenez Jr. said the shift would help protect operations from volatile global oil prices and supply risks, while lowering dependence on fossil fuel in areas where electricity remains inconsistent.
“Ensuring reliable connectivity is our foremost priority, especially in communities where power supply is unstable,” Jimenez said.
“Solarizing these towers significantly improves uptime and service continuity by giving our equipment a more dependable energy source for our network,” he added.
This initiative also forms part of the PLDT Group’s decarbonization roadmap. It targets a 40-percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared with 2019 levels.
