Telcos can save millions by energy efficiency

Reuters 5 Dec 07;

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A typical western European mobile operator can save millions of euros a year by simple energy-saving measures, Nokia Siemens Networks said on Wednesday.

A typical operator with 10 to 15 million subscribers uses about 170 gigawatt hours of electricity a year to power its base stations, with electricity costs of 20.5 million euros ($30.2 million), said Anne Larilahti, head of NSN's environmentally sustainable business.

Nokia Siemens Networks, a joint venture between Nokia and Siemens, sells equipment to mobile network operators.

An operator's electricity bill can be cut significantly by allowing the indoor temperature of base stations to go as high as 40 degrees Celsius, up from the 25 degrees that currently are the standard, Larilahti said.

"You turn off air conditioning, or you turn it down, depending on the site, and then implement a few power-saving software features," such as partial shutdown of the equipment during the night, she said.

This saves an operator about 50 gigawatt hours of electricity a year, or 6 million euros -- the consumption of 5,000 households and equivalent to 26,000 tons of CO2, Larilahti said.

A more ambitious plan could save about 110 gigawatt hours a year, but would include spending on newer, more efficient equipment.

"It is a normal business case that an operator needs to make. Technologies are getting so much more efficient that if you're running five year old equipment, your operating expenditure is larger because of that," she said.

(Reporting by Niclas Mika; Editing by David Holmes)