"Accelerating Towards 100% Renewable Energy: Telecom Titans Lead the Global Charge, Inspiring Industries Worldwide!"

The Race To 100% Renewable Energy Driven Telecommunication Companies Picks Pace Globally Setting An Example For Other Industries.

As data traffic and connectivity demand skyrocket, telecom operators must reduce carbon emissions while meeting customer needs.

The challenge has been that these companies must ensure their networks are green. This encompasses reducing energy consumption or greenhouse gas emissions and involves a broader perspective, including sourcing renewable energy, implementing a carbon reduction strategy, and considering the impact on resources like land and water. 

Robert McCann, the Head of Environment, Climate, and Nature at Virgin Media O2, points out that renewable energy sources, energy consumption and a carbon reduction strategy form the three vital elements that must work in tandem for a network to be considered green.

With more users becoming climate-conscious, telecom operators are now considering renewable energy sources as a core part of their corporate strategy. In the latest event marking the intersection of telecommunications and renewable energy, the German telecommunications giant Vodafone and energy company RWE have entered into a groundbreaking agreement to power thousands of cellular network towers across Germany with renewable energy sourced from offshore wind turbines in the North Sea.

In the deal announced in February 2024, Vodafone revealed plans to utilise around 1,000 gigawatt hours of wind energy generated annually at RWE’s Kaskasi offshore wind farm to operate its 5G mobile network sustainably starting from 2026. 

Under the power purchase agreement (PPA), Vodafone will procure 250 gigawatt hours of wind energy per year from the Kaskasi wind farm for the next decade. This initiative ensures that renewable energy sources will power approximately 12,000 mobile phone stations across Germany.

The deal also includes Vodafone deploying advanced 2G, LTE, and 5G technologies to enhance the wind farm's operational capabilities. Notably, integrating 5G connectivity will facilitate real-time control of inspection drones, improving early detection of technical issues within the wind turbines.

Speaking about the deal, Philippe Rogge, CEO of Vodafone Germany, emphasised the company's commitment to sustainability, highlighting Vodafone’s example-setting effort to operate a network solely from renewable energy, stating, "We are bringing modern 5G to the sea to support the generation of wind energy in Germany. And we use wind energy from the sea to make mobile communications in Germany more sustainable." 

Vodafone joins an already growing list of telecom companies that have invested in or are in the process of investing in renewable energy to run their networks. In 2018, T-Mobile was the first US telecommunication services provider to develop an ambitious goal to achieve 100% renewable energy total electricity usage by the end of 2021.

To achieve this, T-Mobile developed a renewable energy strategy that included 19 retail agreements, eight virtual power agreements, one Green Direct program, and unbundled Renewable Energy Certificates supporting projects nationwide. True to its commitment, by the end of 2021, the company achieved its milestone, becoming the first telecom running 100% on renewable energy in the US, years ahead of competitors. 

The shift to renewable energy is a growing trend in Europe, America, and Africa. For instance, in 2022, Vodafone Group, which operates in eight African countries including Ghana, Kenya, the DRC and South Africa, enlisted Engie Energy Access and Bboxx to test the viability of using clean energy in their African sites.

Similarly, in September of the same year, African Mobile operator MTN announced it was looking for partners with innovative, low-carbon, and renewable energy solutions, such as on-site hydrogen generation, solar, wind, fuel cell, and hybrid.

At the time of the announcement, the operator had already installed 30 off-grid renewable systems at its towers in rural South Africa. Accordingly, in 2021, MTN announced plans to reduce its carbon footprint by 50 per cent by 2030 and launched ‘Project Zero’ strategies in several countries where it operates, including South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon, Sudan, and Ghana.

Other reports have shown that small energy innovators are emerging as the biggest beneficiaries as telecom companies shift to renewable energy and are expected to continue minting millions of dollars.

As more telecom companies join the RE100 pledge to procure 100% clean energy, the industry will continue to set a strong example for other sectors.