It's That Green Thing Again

Green is in vogue. The Indian telecom industry has partnered with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) to gain better insights into the clean energy requirements for the industry and is inviting Renewable Energy Supply Companies (RESCOs) for pilot projects.

Unfortunately, the Indian operators have traditionally shied away from taking responsibilities for burning excessive [subsidized] diesel to power their telecom towers.

"Our core business is not manufacturing green solutions. It is like blaming an airline for not manufacturing planes yet we have tied up with TERI to understand the requirements and deployment of green solutions and will be running our 100,000 towers on renewable energy," says Rajan Mathews, Director, Cellular Operators Association of India.

The other industry bodies like Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association (TEMA) completely disapprove the green efforts made by the operators and believe nothing will happen until the government takes strict action. (See TEMA Slams Radiation Restriction Delays and TEMA Favors Strong Regulation For Recovery.)

"Telecom operators are enjoying the subsidy on diesel granted by the government and will continue to hamper the environment until government frames some strict guidelines and stringent punishment for their negligence. They do not feel the need of saving the environment," says Ashok Agarwal, Director General, TEMA.

There seems to be a never ending list of accusations and counter-accusations. Light Reading India spoke to experts from the industry to get a glimpse of what exactly is the issue in going green by the tower industry and the possible solutions for it.

"Green power projects have capital expenditure attached along with several issues like developing business engagement model of win-win among the members of the ecosystem, commercial viability, universal applicability, continuous availability, space constraints etc," says Milind Bengali, COO at GTL Infrastructure.

Besides capital expenditure, industry experts also blame the absence of regulatory policies on green energy to be a key reason for the indifference of the operators.

"There is a lack of clear policy and roadmap on green energy for the industry. Policy makers, regulators and various stakeholders need to jointly work out a phased and workable plan towards the adoption of green solutions," says Deepak Kumar, an independent telecom analyst.

The Cellular Operators Association of India recently stated in a report that renewable power companies are not clear about the viability of green projects. And this doesnt seem unlikely since there is complete absence of regulatory measures at present.

"We have towers everywhere and they are sure to increase in future. With the uptake of technologies like 3G and 4G, about 3-4 lakh towers will emerge in 2-3 years, of which very few are expected to run on green energy," says Ravindra, Assistant Manager, Energy and Utility Practice, CyberMedia Research.

Tower companies claim that they are trying their level best to leverage green solutions and decrease energy consumption to its lowest. Industry watchers believe that without a proper government policy and development of an ecosystem, it will be a daunting task to "clean" the industry.

"We are continuously evaluating different technologies and different vendors for green energy solutions based on solar, wind, bio-fuel, free cooling, etc. Through TAIPA (Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association), GTL Infra and a few other tower companies have floated a pilot RFP (Request For Proposal) through which RESCO will supply green energy on per KWH basis," adds Bengali.

"The government should make it obligatory for the telcos to adopt green solutions and take strict action if not followed. It should also act as a facilitator between telecom and green energy companies making it a win-win situation for all," adds Ravindra.

Deepak Kumar agrees with this and adds that the government should subsidize green energy like it has been subsidizing diesel for decades.

"Use of renewable energy is in long-term interest of service providers. Negotiations for large-scale commissioning of green power can go on but it is also important to keep taking baby-steps towards sustainability. That would help build favorable momentum," adds Kumar.

Green adoption is still in its nascent stage in the country. It will require combined efforts from both the government and industry to drive its adoption for a cleaner atmosphere rather than indulging in a blame game.

Rimit Singh, Correspondent, Light Reading India