Environment – Page 3

Agriculture, Environment, Environment, Forestry, Land Management, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

The Amazon as Never Seen Before

Last week The Guardian announced that we’re now able to see the Amazonian rainforest as never seen before. A group of scientists, using LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) took images from a plane called the Carnegie Airborne Observatory. The images were taken by bouncing a laser beam off of the forest canopy at 400,000 times per second. The resulting images are vibrant, showcasing variation in biodiversity at unprecedented detail. The new technology will be used to manage the ecosystem, monitoring for signs of deforestation and degradation.

February 2, 2012/by actualize

Agriculture, Environment, Environment, Originally posted on the GBI Portal, Water

Mobile Apps, Texting for Water Access

mw4d launches new site

mw4d, a research initiative that uses mobile technology for water management in Africa launched a new website in January. mw4d is based within the Oxford Water Futures Program at the University of Oxford. The site highlights projects and resources for innovative mobile applications that “help achieve water security and reduce poverty” in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Currently mw4d has three main projects:

Smart Handpumps

Smart Rivers

Mobile Water Payments

These projects allow for the monitoring of water use patterns, proper allocation of resources, and sustainability of water supply services. Please check out their resources for exciting projects worldwide.

January 27, 2012/by actualize

Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Environment, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Biofuels: Off-grid answer for ICT access?

Biofuels… Good or Bad Idea? They’ve received positive hype from non-profits, corporations, and individuals only to be scorned by some environmentalists, economists, and other groups.

Photo Credit: GSMA

A common barrier facing rural regions is a lack of access to a reliable power supply. Being off the grid limits the ability to take advantage of information and communication technologies (ICTs) that could provide economic gain and increase quality of life. What’s the use of a mobile phone with innovative software applications if it can’t be recharged?

One popular answer for off-grid communities is building biofuel-based facilities that are run off of renewable resources. Biofuel is simply energy released directly or indirectly from living or recently living organisms. Wind and solar power are included, but fossil fuels are not because they are embedded in geological formations and nonrenewable.

Biofuels have been used for over a millennia, such as the simple method of burning wood for fuel. Other traditional methods used throughout the developing world include using conventional feed such as maize, wheat, sunflowers, and switchgrass for combustion that are then used for cooking, heating, and lighting.

Modern bioenergy used for fuel can be more complex, taking advantage of residue, bacteria, and other organic components of waste that produce a higher value energy carrier, meaning they are more efficient and versatile than traditional methods. The most common method for converting biomass into fuel is by combustion that generates heat. Other known methods include gasification, extraction, and fermentation (used for converting starch or sugar crops into ethanol). In recent decades ethanol and other forms of biofuels have increased in popularity due to the fluctuation of oil prices, carbon emission, and as an option for rural development.

Photo Credit: Prof. Thomson Sinkala, Chairman, Biofuels Association of Zambia

So are biofuels the answer for connecting rural communities with the greater world? Let’s weigh some notable advantages and disadvantages:

PROS

+ Biofuels are locally harvested, decreasing transportation costs.

+ The harvesting and processing of biofuels creates local jobs.

+ Biofuels are renewable.

+ Plants used for making biofuels can be grown on marginal lands.

+ The cost of renewable energy technology is falling, making energy projects more affordable and easier to maintain.

CONS

– Not all biofuels are sustainable.

– Traditional forms of bioenergy can cause unpleasant consequences such as deforestation.

– Traditional biofuels are highly inefficient when compared to fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

– Biofuels derived from vegetation require a lot of water, adding pressure to an already limited and fragile source.

– Instead of using limited arable land for food production, it’s used for growing biomass that can be improperly fertilized, further harming water systems.

– It can negatively impact life-cycles, species health, and biodiversity.

So are biofuels a good or bad solution for rural areas? The decision must be made at the local level; weighing costs, benefits, and sustainability. Below are examples of successful projects where biofuels are used to supply power.

Indonesia– Instead of depositing livestock waste in waterways, it is processed in a biodigester, creating biogas used by the local population.

China – Rice ‘straw’, the stem and leaves left behind after harvesting to be burnt can be mixed with an alkaline solution to create biogas.

Mali– Jatropha, a poisonous weed used to keep away grazing animals thrives in marginal soil is used to power generators.

Kenya– Solar and hydro energy is used for a power center that provides access to Internet and mobile phones for local farmers.

January 25, 2012/by actualize

Agriculture, Environment, Environment, Natural Resources Management, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Lionfish, Tiger Shrimp, Grizzlar Bears! Oh, my!

Photo Credit: Factoidz

Last summer an article caught my eye about the spread of Lionfish in Antigua’s waters, an invasive and predatory creature. The news made me curious if there were other invasive species worthy of catchphrases and surely enough I wasn’t disappointed to find a diverse selection of tigers and bears.

Invasive species, as the name suggests, originate outside of the ecosystem in which they are found. Thousands of years of climate shifts and our urge to conquer new lands have led to major disruptions that threaten native environments, making them susceptible to damaged local biodiversity, food production, and even human health.

In 2005, ICT Update published an issue on invasive species, marking GIS and other tech responses to the monitoring and elimination of threatening pests. Since this publication there have been successful ICT approaches and projects for invasive alien prevention. What’s my favorite one, you may ask? Well, it’s actually a free, simple to use mobile application called What’s Invasive! With this downloadable application one can geo-tag invasive plants and animals that are specific to the desired geographic location. With this information concerned citizens and other groups can monitor growth patterns and participate in eradication campaigns. Currently, the application is vigorously used in American, Canadian, and European parks. With its easily accessible databases, nature education and other public outreach programs in coordination with this mobile app can greatly empower local communities to address issues of environmental protection and climate change.

January 18, 2012/by actualize

Agriculture, Environment, Environment, Originally posted on the GBI Portal, Water

5 ICT 4 Watershed Management Projects

There’s been considerable debate lately about possible uses of information and communications technology for watershed management. Access to monitoring programs assists governments adequately manage and distribute water. Watershed management is critical for regional ecological health, clean water ability, disaster relief, and agriculture.

5 Noteworthy ICT Watershed Management Projects

eGov features India’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) that uses GIS mapping and GPS enabled mobile applications for planning and monitoring rainwater harvested agricultural land. The watershed is analyzed through interactive online mapping available in local languages, engaging parties at the village, regional, and state levels. Through this process scarce water is conserved by a supervised drainage line, promoting the cultivation of arable land and responsible seasonal planning. An overview of this project is available HERE.

A similar project, MeKongInfo, is available to citizens along the Mekong River Basin in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. The site houses a database and online discussion that is sponsored by the Mekong River Commission (MRC). It contains many aspects including flood mitigation, fishery management and other issues of overall planning.

AgWater Solutions is collaborating with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and others in Ethiopia through workshops to address small reservoirs and groundwater systems investment.

African Water Facility’s Community Water Management Project in Zambia works with farmers to increase productivity by reducing their reliance on rain-fed farming.

Rio+20’s ICT as an Enabler for Smart Water Management report includes case-studies on ICTs for smart water initiatives. Also worthy of noting as a resource is the United Nations’ Virtual Learning Centre distance-learning course on Integrated Water and Environmental Management for creating regional resource databanks to enhance sustainable water management practices. The course is available through Regional Centres of Excellence in Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific.

January 18, 2012/by actualize

Agriculture, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Environment, Environmental Compliance, Natural Resources Management, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

5 Areas to Watch for ICTs, Environment & Climate Change in 2012!

The Sustainability Director of Ericsson, Matilda Gennevi Gustafsson stated at the just ended United Nations COP17 Climate Change Conference that “In order to meet the needs of the 9 billion people estimated to populate the world by 2050, there must be a shift from incremental to transformative solutions to solve climate change. The opportunity for the transformational power of ICT to put us on the path of a low-carbon economy and spur socio-economic development has never been greater.”

So as we enter 2012, we expect the rise of ICT applications and solutions with the potential to mitigate the impact of the global climate change on our environment. Below are 5 selected areas with specific examples to watch for transformative solutions as the year progresses:

Photo Credit: Travel Outback

1. ICTs for Weather Information

While farming remains a predominant occupation for the rural people across the developing world, the increasing effects of climate change is being felt in almost all areas of their farming activities. From shorter and unpredictable rainfalls patterns to increasing flooding, poor quality and quantity of forage for livestock the general changes in temperature. As a result, concerns and questions among farmers and to scientists about these unpredictable weather patterns in recent years continue to rise. The focus for the scientists now is to try and quickly response to these concerns from the farmers and ICT applications and solutions are expected to rise in this area as well.

a) Weather Information for Africa

This is an initiative by Ericsson which addresses the lack of quality weather forecasts in Africa. It assists national meteorological services to design customized forecasts and promotes the use of cellphones to distribute the information. Local weather information such as storm warnings not only enables disaster, but can also improve economic opportunities for the millions of people working in industries such as fisheries, agriculture and small business development. The initiative is already showing positive benefits which can be of use for the 3.5 million people living alongside Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake.

b) Using SMS to Fast-Track Responses to Farmers’ Climate Change Questions in Zambia

Example is seen in Zambia where climate change questions can now receive quick answers via SMS from a new feedback SMS system developed by the country’s National Agricultural Information Services (NAIS) together with, a local software developer, SMSize and International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD).

c) Using ICTs to Minimize Weather Hazards on Farmers

Also in Ghana, Ignitia is presenting a hands-on opportunity, where it can deliver daily weather forecasts and warnings to initially 90,000 farmers. The farmer gets a daily forecast in his/her mobile phone by an automatically generated text message, tailored to the farmer’s specific location by GPS coordinates.

Photo Credit: Eon

2. ICTs to Facilitate Connectivity and Commute

a) Virtual Meetings

In a not too distant future there may not be any travel agencies, only meeting agencies (where the default suggestion is a virtual meeting, and a physical meeting is booked only if necessary), the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI). The statement continues that virtual meetings may have started as a smarter way to do conferences, and this shift alone has resulted in significant reductions of GHG emissions, but virtual meetings could also help accelerate sustainable production around the world by increasing transparency.

b) Teleworking

Teleworking, according to the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) is the possibility of working wherever is best and avoiding travel when you can get access to documents and information without it. It allows people to get things done in a much smarter way which not only saves time, money, and energy directly, but also promotes investments in an infrastructure that is very resource efficient. Much of today’s information and material can be stored in the “cloud” to allow access from any mobile device. Today there is no need to keep investing in an infrastructure based on the assumption that every person must move from the home to a physical office every day.

c) Connectivity

Through the work of Ericsson, the daily commute for residents of Curitiba (southern Brazil) is now easy and efficient. The new HSPA-based public transport system is enabling the 3.2 million citizens of Curitiba to use an electronic ticketing and fleet management system to reduce their congested transportation system. The city’s bus fleet is connected through a high-speed mobile broadband network that provides up-to-the-second information on a range of services. The fleet management system provides up-to-date information on bus services and timetables, directly to their mobile device.

Photo Credit: Euogo.com

3. Using Solar Chargers

The Social Energy Marketplace

At a recently ended Web 2.0 Summit held in San Francisco California, a Berlin-based startup called Changers announced the release of a portable solar charging system that aims to reduce global warming by shifting society to the use of a currency backed by the sun. The Changers Solar System gives the user a way to harness the sun’s energy, liberates the user from the grid, recharges all kinds of devices, helps the user to socialize his/her energy production, and enables him/her to compete with others to earn Changers Credits that can be spent in the Changers Marketplace. The Changers Kalhuohfummi is a simple, one-button device that communicates with Changers.com. Inside is advanced intelligence that accurately measures how much energy it captures and stores in the built-in battery, ready to charge any smartphone or tablet. The Changers Kalhuohfummi solar battery is powered by the Changers Maroshi flexible solar module, which generates up to four Watts per hour — enough to charge the Kalhuohfummi battery in four hours. The Changers Maroshi solar panel, which is produced in Colorado, USA, can be attached to any window or sunny surface.

Photo Credit: EventCamp

4. App Challenges for Climate Change

Crowdsourcing has come to stay and the innovative use of this approach to generate knowledge will rise in the years to come. We expect to see more calls and challenges in 2012 giving opportunities to techies and those interested in applying these technologies for sustainable environment to work on apps that will have impact. An on-going challenge is Poliwiki.

Poliwiki – Crowd Sourcing APP to Combat Climate Change

Poliwiki, the first digital channel of its kind in the world, aims at assessing climate change related legislation. It is a timely and effective on-line platform to help policy makers and innovators combat climate change in a smart and transparent way, says James Lovegrove Managing Director of TechAmerica Europe. The Poliwiki will be expanded to include more countries and data in an active campaign during 2012 and 2013 by the ICT For Energy Efficiency Forum (www.ict4ee.eu) – an industry initiative in Europe that is mobilizing ICT to facilitate the transition to an energy-efficient, low-carbon economy.

Photo Credit: iPhone Developer Labs

5. New and Emerging Apps to Follow

We have seen a number of challenges already in this area of ICTs and Climate Change such as the APPS4AFRICA. The results of the West Africa APPS4AFRICA below may be an inspiration for others as they launch into 2012. These and others that will be released in 2012 will be worth following:

a) 1st prize – HospitalManager

HospitalManager is a web-based application that helps hospitals and health organizations prepare for disasters such as floods and storms. More frequent heat spells, rains, and floods are leading to heath emergencies, both due to the event itself, and later to water related disease. HospitalManager will help hospitals in Nigeria, and potentially throughout Africa, identify patterns in patient visits following rains and floods, so that staff can better prepare for these situations and save more lives. Hospitals can anticipate incoming disease and emergency patterns using real time climate forecasts. On longer time scales it will allow policy makers to plan locations of new hospitals.

b) 2nd prize – Eco-fund Forum

Eco-fund Forum is a web-based community organizer and geo-localized data exchange tool to help individuals and communities working on sustainable resource management throughout Africa to share their own experiences on best practices. Thus they will better understand and respond to the climate change challenges impacting each specific local context. For example, coastal communities in Senegal that suffer from erosion can learn from neighbors that are successfully and durably overcoming the same problem by regenerating and preserving a littoral forest. Furthermore, the Forum will give those communities a voice which should alert political decision makers to address climate change challenges in time.

c) 3rd prize – Farmerline

Farmerline is a mobile and web-based system that furnishes farmers and investors with relevant agricultural information to improve productivity and increase income. Lack of information about weather patterns and about which crops grow best in a changing climate hurts rural farmers’ yields. Cell phone use is growing rapidly throughout Ghana, including in rural areas. This mobile tool can help farmers in Ghana to get information about agricultural best practices down to the farm level, including choosing crops best suited for their specific location, and how to prepare for changes in weather patterns (including dry spells, changes in seasonal onset, and extreme events).

d) iPhone App for Ecosystems Approach

Finally, you may want to follow this app that was launched by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) at the Eye on Earth summit in Abu Dhabi that takes a different approach to the climate change issue. The UNEP app draws attention to the critical role played by ecosystems such as salt marshes, mangroves, tropical forests and seagrasses in tackling climate change. Users of the app can calculate their personal carbon footprint for journeys taken by air, train or road. They will then be shown the equivalent area of a particular ecosystem (such as a tropical forest) that can store this amount of carbon dioxide. The free iPhone app is already available online in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese, Russian and Spanish and can be downloaded from the Apple Store

December 22, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Climate Change, Environment, Environment, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

ICTs and Climate Change Gain Importance During COP17 Conference in Durban

As the United Nations COP17 Climate Change Conference wraps up today after two weeks of intense meetings and negotiations among world leaders, ICTs have frequently surfaced as significant in helping solve the global climate change problem.

While the task of positioning the role of ICTs within climate change negotiations is challenging, groups like the newly formed Coalition on ICTs and Climate Change have been actively working to raise awareness, mobilize political will, and encourage governments to include ICTs within their climate change policies. The result has been for COP17 to give more visibility to the role of ICTs in climate change action.

Techies at the Durban climate change conference

Photo credit: Notes on ICTs, Climate Change and Development (NICCD)

During the conference, there were side meetings focused on ICTs, an “ICT Day,” and a Digital Media Lounge that provided a platform for experts and practitioners to have a tele-presence. In addition, tech companies Techamerica and Digital Europe launched an online crowdsourcing app called “Poliwiki.” The tool is the first digital channel of its kind in the world, and serves as an “online platform to help policy-makers and innovators combat climate change in a smart and transparent way.”

ICT buffs have been blogging and tweeting throughout the conference on ICTs and climate change. Sunil Bharti Mittal of the Times of India wrote an article about the enormous opportunity that ICTs hold to “usher in transformational changes in the carbon intensity of growth.” He believes that investment in the ICT sector can deliver “exponential returns in terms of emissions reduction.” His article provides instances of this, such as smart grids whereby electric companies utilize ICTs to reduce losses, prevent outages and provide customers with information on how to manage their own carbon footprints, potentially leading to a 5-9% reduction in greenhouse gases in the United States.

The 2011 Apps4Africa competition, which searches for the most innovative solutions to global challenges, made its theme “Climate Challenge” in order to center around the strategic themes that coincide with policy decisions made during COP17. The winners of the West Africa Climate Challenge were announced on Wednesday, December 7 during the conference, with the first prize of $15,000 going to a web-based app called HospitalManager that helps hospitals and health organizations prepare for natural disasters.

Poliwiki: www.transformative-step.net

While no follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol was secured, and many felt that the conference ended in “political fudge,” tech enthusiasts seem to have made progress in demonstrating the critical role ICTs have to play in solving the climate change crisis.

December 9, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Climate Change, Environment, Environment, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Fasttrack Service for Farmers’ Climate Change Questions!

Photo Credit: Ken Banks, kiwanja.net

Farmers in Zambia with climate change questions can now receive quick answers via SMS from a new feedback SMS system developed by the country’s National Agricultural Information Services (NAIS) together with, a local software developer, SMSize and International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD).

Through the SMSize system, farmers can send questions via an SMS from their cell phones which go directly to a computer server at the central office, where the producer researches the answer and sends back the information to the phone of the querying farmer, in the same language as the original request. With this new system, farmers receive relevant and more customized answers to their climate change questions within 24 hours.

The system replaces the traditional system as seen below:

a) A farmer with questions fills an evaluation form and send it to the nearest NAIS district office,

b) The district office passes the form to the provincial office,

c) The form is then sent to the main country office,

d) A NAIS radio producer assesses the questions, and contacts relevant specialists in agricultural research institutes and government ministries,

e) Based on their feedback, the producer prepares a response for broadcast in a the next radio program.

With this old system, farmers had to to wait for months before receiving answers to their climate change questions.

‘Instead of taking several weeks, the farmers now get the information within a day or two,’ said Kahilu. ‘We also still use the questions and concerns raised by the farmers to develop material for radio programs which will help other farmers facing similar problems.’

The increasing number of questions from farmers concerning unpredictable weather patterns in recent years to the Zambia National Agricultural Information Services (NAIS) necessitated a discussion with the local software developer which has led to the development of the system.

Social Media, HIV/AIDS and Natural Resource Management

Photo Credit: RBCT

One of the leading programs with interest in the way HIV/AIDS is affecting the environment and natural resource management (NRM) activities is the USAID’s Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group (ABCG).

ABCG, as a result, has initiated a number of communication strategies to combat the negative impact of HIV/AIDS on the environment. On this 2011 World’s AIDS Day, I find it appropriate to reflect on the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in increasing the effectiveness of communication strategies for combating negative impacts of HIV/AIDS on the environment.

Impacts of HIV/AIDS on the Environment and Natural Resource Management Activities

According to ABCG, HIV/AIDS has impacted the conservation workforce, conservation activities, and finances of conservation government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and communities. The pandemic has caused accelerated rates of illnesses and deaths among park wardens, rangers, community game guards, senior officials and other conservation personnel; accelerated rates of payment of terminal benefits by conservation government agencies; created competition for scarce financial resources between HIV/AIDS demands and conservation activities; led to accelerated and unsustainable rates of harvesting of medicinal plants and wildlife; is destroying communal social structures on which community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) is based; and has led to land use changes in some places.

The program has identified the following key impacts of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on natural resource management:

Changes in land use as agricultural practices change with falling capacity for heavy labor,
Changes in access to resources and land especially when widows and AIDS orphans cannot inherit land,
Loss of traditional knowledge of sustainable land and resource management practices,
Increased vulnerability of community-based natural resource management programs as communities lose leadership and capacity, and HIV/AIDS issues take priority, and
Diversion of conservation funds for HIV/AIDS related costs.

ABCG’s Communication Strategies and the Role of ICTs

With the above recognized negative impacts of HIV/AIDS on the environment and natural resource management, ABCG has agreed that ICTs are uniquely positioned to help increase the impacts of their communication strategies. Some of the current approaches being used include:

The use of its website with updated materials including PowerPoint presentations, papers, and web links on case studies conducted on HIV/AIDS and environmental conservation.
Networking among the regional partners to share useful information on the issue.
Workshops
International Conferences
AIDS and Conservation Posters by ABCG

So how can ICTs be integrated into these strategies for effective impact on HIV/AIDS?

Looking at the great potentials of ICTs for knowledge and information sharing, the current communication approaches by ABCG may have limited use of ICTs for sharing knowledge on best practices about HIV/AIDS and the environment. A host of the emerging social media tools and platforms are excellent avenues for partners to share information on HIV/AIDS and environmental conservation activities thereby facilitating the work of ABCG in its fight for environmental conservation.

a) Blogs taking the form of a diary, journal, and links to other websites could be great tools for sharing and creating awareness of HIV/AIDS on the environment.

b) Twitter accounts can be used to share instant updates from friends, industry experts, favorite celebrities, and others of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the environment, the prevention strategies, and what’s happening around the world with specific focus on natural resource management and HIV/AIDS.

c) Social networking applications like Facebook with pages specifically created on the issue could help bring like-minded individuals and organizations together to discuss the issue online.

d) Events such as Meetup.com and free Wibinar applications such as WebEx channels may be used to connect partners and advocates together to share information and knowledge on HIV/AIDS and the environment.

e) Wikis pages are great knowledge management and collaborative tools that could be used to capture, find, share, and use information on HIV/AIDS and environmental conservation. Wikis help keep knowledge current, dynamic, and safe for members.

f) Photo sharing applications like Flicker, Picasa, Fotki, Mobile Me, Windows Live SkyDrive could be used to share real-time updates on HIV/AIDS and environment through images.

g) Video sharing tools like YouTube could be used to create awareness of the danger of HIV/AIDS on the environment.

h) Professional networking tools like LinkedIn may bring together experts from the various fields – HIV/AIDS, NRM, Climate Change, among others to discuss the issue.

When the necessary ICT policies and infrastructure are put in place among the ABCG collaborating partners and the regional networks, the use of these applications should not be an obstacle to information sharing on HIV/AIDS and the environment.

December 1, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Environment, Environmental Compliance, eWaste, Natural Resources Management, Originally posted on the GBI Portal, Pollution Prevention

Nigeria’s Mobile Phone Base Stations Go Green

Photo Credit: E-Site

Bharti Airtel, an international telecommunications company, has announced a deal with Ericsson, a leading provider of mobile telecommunications equipment, to use Flexenclosure’s green energy solution called E-site for upgrading an initial lot of 250 mobile phone base stations powered by diesel in Nigeria.

The contract enables Ericsson to be responsible for implementation and maintenance services for all the sites. “The new green and highly cost efficient base station solution makes not only environmental sense, but also financial sense for our customers, enabling the efficient deployment of services to previously unserved or under-served areas,” Ericsson Head of Sub-Saharan Africa Region Lars Linden said.

Airtel has successfully tested the solution in Kenya and has experienced significant reduction in diesel usage and CO2 emissions against a round-the-clock diesel powered site. The company also believes that the ‘green’ mobile initiative will improve operations and minimize base stations’ environmental impact.

Flexenclosure is a Swedish start-up that develops innovative solutions for energy-efficient mobile phone coverage in developing nations. The advanced control system of the E-site solution assures the storage of optimal power from the alternative energy sources (solar or wind) and the process is efficiently managed through the utilization of its battery bank.

The company estimates that there are 40,000 mobile phone base stations in Africa, and most of those rely on a diesel engine for power. Each base station takes anything up to 5200 gallons of the increasingly expensive hydrocarbon soup each year to ensure that people will be able to use their mobile phones. That’s around 210,000,000 gallons of diesel every single year, which isn’t good for the environment or the profit margins of the mobile providers. The technology has the potential to lower diesel usage by up to 80% – that’s a saving of 169,000,000 gallons of diesel each year for African telecommunication companies and that’s the byproducts of burning 169 million gallons of diesel that won’t be entering our atmosphere.

November 14, 2011/by actualize