It has been written and rewritten on how the 4 plus lakh telecom towers in India burn billions of liters of diesel every year, and how the government has been trying to wean them away from diesel by emphasising the use of renewable energy sources.
Outside of having solar panels at their premises powering their requirements, the telecom industry is also looking at purchasing power from wind and solar power plants. Recently, the telecom industry bodies COAI and AUSPI said they have placed a power purchase order with seven renewable energy generation companies (Rescos) to power as many as 1 lakh telecom towers.
“The umbrella body of telecom tower companies, Tower & Infrastructure Providers Association (Taipa), had two months ago sent a request for proposal (RFP) to seven Rescos like Moser Bayer and ABB, informing of readiness to buy their entire generation to power our 1 lakh towers,” Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) director general Rajan S Mathews said.
