(a) the number of mobile towers that are powered by electricity
and diesel generators in the country, State-wise;
(b) whether the Government has initiated or proposes to initiate
any concrete scheme to check pilferage of diesel and also power these
mobile towers on green energy sources till 2015 as per recommendations
of Telecom Regulatory Authority; and
(c) if so, the details thereof and the achievements made so far
alongwith the targets fixed for 2015?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI MILIND DEORA)
(a) All the mobile towers are being powered by Electricity and diesel
generator sets are used as backup power supply when grid power in not
available. The number of mobile Base Terminal Stations in the country
state-wise is placed at Annexure ‘A’.
(b) & (c) Diesel is being used to run the generator sets to power
Mobile Base Terminal Stations as standby power supply. Diesel generator
sets are installed by the mobile operators owning the Base Terminal
Stations (BTS). Necessary controls are being exercised to check pilferage.
To examine the technical feasibility and financial viability
of solar wind based power system, pilot project of solar & solar-wind
hybrid system to power the Mobile Base Terminal Stations have been
carried out.
The TRAI recommendations on Green Energy applications have been
approved by government and Department has issued following directives
to the licensees/ all ILD service providers to adopt measures to green
the Telecom sector setting broad directions & goals:
(i) At least 50% of all rural towers and 20% of the urban towers are
to be powered by hybrid power (Renewable Energy Technologies (RET) + Grid
Power) by 2015, while 75% of rural towers and 33% of urban towers are to
be powered by hybrid power by 2020.
(ii) The Service Providers to ensure that the total power consumption
of each BTS will not exceed 500W by the year 2020.
(iii) A phased programme should be put in place by the telecom service
providers to have their cell sites, particularly in the rural areas,
powered by hybrid renewable sources including wind energy, solar energy,
fuel cells or a combination thereof. The eventual goal under this phased
programme is to ensure that around 50% of all towers in the rural areas
are powered by hybrid renewable sources by the year 2015.
(iv) Based on the details of footprints declared by all service
providers, service providers should aim at Carbon Emission reduction
targets for the mobile network at 5% by the year 2012-13, 8% by the
year 2014-15, 12% by the year 2016-17 and 17% by the year 2018-19.