Open AccessAdopting Hybrid Energy Technology for Carbon Emissions Reduction in Nigeria’s Telecommunications Industry
Author(s) -
Obindah Gershon,
E. Agbene
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iop conference series. earth and environmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1755-1307
pISSN - 1755-1315
DOI - 10.1088/1755-1315/655/1/012048
Subject(s) - greenhouse gas , renewable energy , carbon footprint , energy mix , telecommunications , environmental economics , fossil fuel , climate change , photovoltaic system , electricity generation , diesel fuel , global warming , business , automotive engineering , power (physics) , computer science , engineering , electrical engineering , economics , waste management , ecology , physics , quantum mechanics , biology
Telecoms cell sites, powered by petrol and diesel generators, have high carbon footprints and contribute increasingly to global warming, and thereby climate change. Utilizing primary data from telecom cell sites of a major operator in Nigeria, this study empirically determines the firm’s CO 2 emissions and considers how hybrid energy technology (HET) could be adopted to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. Data of fuel utilization in power generation are applied to compute CO 2 emissions. Towards reducing the firm’s and industry’semissions, hybrid energy technology options for incorporating solarin the energy mix are considered. Hybrid energy technologies optimize existing hydrocarbon generating plants with photovoltaic panels and storage batteries to provide minimum capacities for powering the electronic devises. Results show that HET opportunities exist for most telecom firms’ cell sites given Nigeria’s geographical advantage to access sunlight. In addition, through the adoption of hybrid energy, average daily fuel usage is reduced by 50% (apart from periods of peak demand and weather disruptions). If adopted by the major telecoms operators, as recommended, greenhouse gas emissions level in the industry will reduce significantly.A few notable challenges are highlighted in the paper. However, job creation in the renewable energy industry is a notable advantage of transforming power generation in the telecommunications industry.