Wireless carrier T-Mobile USA has installed a mobile cellular tower in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, that is powered by a solar array. This is the carrier’s first site powered by renewable energy in the United States. Quite honestly, I don’t hear much about renewable energy as a cell tower electricity source, although this totally makes sense if you think about how far off the grid some of these installations might be. The only other company that has really approached me about solar-powered wireless services has been Alcatel-Lucent, which has committed to using renewable energy in all sorts of remote locations.
In any event, the T-Mobile site uses 12 solar panels, which should be enough to keep the site up and running without requiring a boost from the local Pennsylvania utility company, PECO. Aside from helping out T-Mobile with electricity costs, the relationship helps PECO’s goal of producing up to 20 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources.
Considering how many cell towers seem to go up as city or community-zoned projects and the rabid fights over same, this renewable energy twists seems to be something that more communities should look into. I wonder if the zoning fights would be as fierce if these installations introduced some aspect of renewable credits into the neighborhood. Just wondering.
