The Global System for Mobile Telecommunications Association (GSMA) has praised the dedication of telecom companies in European nations to maximizing the use of renewable energy in their networks, but it is concerning that similar efforts have not been made in Africa.
According to the GSMA, mobile networks in 41 of the 86 countries studied use more than 75% renewable energy, placing European networks in the lead globally with an average purchase of renewable energy of 71%.
Mobile networks in 29 of the 86 countries, according to the GSMA, use less than 25% renewable energy. It also noted that 32% of the renewable energy used by operators is obtained through power purchase agreements with energy generators, while 63% is attained through renewable energy certificates from electricity markets, and 4% comes from the self-generation of renewable electricity.
In a survey, the telecoms body found that by 2030, operators worldwide will need access to an additional 64 terawatt-hours (TWh) of renewable electricity, which is roughly equivalent to Austria’s annual energy consumption. This is because operators want to decarbonize their energy supplies and improve services.
Since COP26, mobile operators have increased the amount of renewable electricity used to power their networks to fulfill science-based targets. According to the GSMA, the mobile industry was one of the first to commit to attaining Net Zero by 2050.
The telecoms organization, which unites over 750 mobile operators with close to 400 businesses in the larger mobile ecosystem and represents the interests of mobile operators globally, including those in Nigeria, claimed that the data demonstrated that operators in Europe and North America have recently been able to increase the amount of renewable electricity used to power their networks.
In contrast, as seen by lower market-based regional figures across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and South America, access to renewable electricity remains an issue in many nations.
The GSMA went on to say that projects like Vodafone’s recently announced power purchasing agreement to purchase renewable energy produced by three new solar farms in the UK have demonstrated the viability of coordinated action with national policymakers and energy generators to ensure that more renewable energy can be swiftly added to electricity grids over the next ten years.
Governments are more and more embracing the telecom industry’s ability to enable societal carbon reduction. To increase the availability and accessibility of renewable energy sources as part of national plans to improve energy security and spur future-proof economic and social development, this should go hand in hand with using the telecoms sector to attract long-term investments in renewable energy production
According to the GSMA, the mobile sector should seek to decarbonize 70% of its electricity use by 2030 based on studies conducted by the UN RaceToZero at COP26.
It was stated that governments attending COP-27 should seize the chance that renewable electricity presents to assist the private sector in achieving its net zero targets right away. To develop long-term energy agreements, meet the commercial need for renewable energy, increase system capacity, and boost investor confidence, more work needs to be done.
