E-Plus, a leading mobile service provider in Germany, has deployed the first base station in Germany that is not connected to the nation’s electricity grid. 
The base station is powered by a combination of solar and wind power, which are supported by fuel cell and deep cycle batteries. The base station was built by Nokia Siemens Networks’ end-to-end Energy Solutions business. The installation uses a solar tracking system, which follows the sun and turns the maximum surface of the solar panels toward it, to increase solar energy production for the site operation. Nokia Siemens Networks’ Green Energy Controller manages the solar energy, a wind turbine, a fuel cell system and the deep cycle battery technology, which is mounted in SiteStar cabinets for extended life time. The vendor has also extended its network management platform, NetAct, for network monitoring and optimization to enable energy management of this site.
“With this innovative energy concept, we show how mobile phone transmission sites can become carbon neutral,” said Rafal Markiewicz, chief technology officer of E-Plus Group. “This new transmission plant is part of our sustainability strategy. For us, building the first green base station site of this type is an important achievement and underlines our claim to operate the most efficient network in Germany.”
“E-Plus’ commitment to the environment is closely aligned with our own, and it’s great to see that the operator will achieve energy efficiency and zero CO2 emission during this site’s operation,” added Stefan Ilchmann, responsible for E-Plus business at Nokia Siemens Networks.http://www.nsn.comwww.eplus-gruppe.de/presse
