Idea Cellular has issued a statement mentioing that it has been awarded a Grant of over USD 1 million from the US Trade & Development Agency (USTDA), to fund a pilot involving deployment of Solar Hybrid Methanol Based Fuel Cell (SHMBFC) at telecom sites in India.
In a first ever funding of a Green Telecom project in India by the USTDA, Idea will be supported by ICF International (Fairfax, VA), which will undertake a feasibility study and pilot project that will assess the technical, economic and financial feasibility of deploying methanol based fuel cell (SHMBFC) systems that provide continuous and uninterruptible power to off grid telecom towers at five sites belonging to Idea. The project aims to assist Idea Cellular’s effort to replace stationary diesel engines by demonstrating SHMBFC technology at five telecom tower sites using 2.5 and 5.0 kilowatt fuel cell units.
A Grant Agreement to this effect was signed between the US Ambassador to India Nancy J. Powell and Idea MD Himanshu Kapania, witnessed by Jamie Merriman, Country Manager – South Asia, USTDA; Nitin Zamre, Country Head, ICF Inc.; and Anil Tandan, CTO, Idea Cellular, at the US Consulate in Mumbai, last evening.
During the signing ceremony, Ambassador Nancy Powell noted, “Projects like these directly support U.S. government policy priorities to promote domestic energy production, rural electrification, and cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels in India. And it will lessen the country’s dependence on oil and gas imports. I congratulate USTDA and ICF International, and Idea Cellular on this smart energy initiative.”
Accepting the grant, Mr. Himanshu Kapania, Managing Director, Idea Cellular said, “Idea Cellular, an Aditya Birla Group Company, has been a pioneer in Renewable Energy Technologies deployment to power telecom sites in India, for the past several years. The grant offered by the USTDA will further spur our efforts towards reducing carbon emissions from telecom infrastructure in the country.”
Idea has been at the forefront of adopting environmentally sustainable practices to reduce carbon emissions and operating costs of telecom network operations in India. After over a decade long effort in this area, Idea started its ‘Green Idea Programme’ in 2012,which is aimed at Carbon emission reduction through the use of renewable energies such as Hydrogen, Solar, and Battery-DG Hybrid systems; deployment of highly energy efficient hardware; and optimisation of Generator and Air Conditioner usage, besides others.
