Globe pilots hybrid power alternative sources for cell towers

Globe is piloting hybrid power alternative sources for cell towers in off-grid and bad-grid sites in Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon and Metro Manila to reduce its operational greenhouse gas emissions.

These Hybrid power alternative sources are combinations of different technologies. These include a hybrid power plant or a mini-grid, which often contain a renewable energy component such as a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) system, supported via a second form of generator and/or storage such as a diesel genset and/or battery storage system.

Another technology is the Advanced Solar Hybrid Generator Set which uses solar power as an initial power source before shifting to the battery (rectifier) and diesel genset.

These hybrid sources provide power for connectivity and access to digital services in rural areas that currently use diesel gensets due to limited or lack of access to a stable power supply. They are being piloted in off-grid tower sites and locations that suffer from power outages on a regular basis..

Initial results indicate an average of 50% reduction in diesel genset runtime, which greatly reduces fuel consumption and its associated carbon emissions.

By augmenting energy requirements with renewable energy, it increases site uptime and ensures the availability of continuous backup power during times of disasters. These technologies also reduce cost from energy consumption and operations and maintenance in cell sites.

“The shift to hybrid power is part of Globe’s climate action strategy. We continue to move towards decarbonizing our operations in support of the company’s commitment to achieving Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050,” said Yoly Crisanto, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer at Globe.

In 2019, Globe started its decarbonization journey by buying renewable energy bundled with verified carbon offsets through Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) aligned with the Philippines’ policy on renewable energy. To date, it has 14 key facilities running on 100% renewable energy and looks to add more sites this year, aligned with the government program on access to renewable energy for end-users.

At the same time, Globe has deployed over 8,500 green network solutions such as fuel cell systems, direct current (DC) Hybrid Generators, free cooling systems, and lithium-ion batteries to achieve energy and resource efficiency in its cell sites. These solutions use cleaner fuel with lower emissions, consume less diesel fuel, and provide energy-efficient heat removal.

This is in line with Globe’s support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 9, which highlights the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development, and UN SDG No. 13, which seeks urgent action against climate change and its impacts.

Globe is the first and only Philippine publicly-listed company listed by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) to commit to set science-based targets aligned with the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. It is also a participant in the Race to Zero UN-backed global campaign rallying non-state actors to halve global emissions by 2030 and deliver a healthier, fairer zero-carbon world by 2050.

In 2021, it also committed to supporting the framework set by the globally-recognized Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and vowed to abide by its recommendations for effective climate-related disclosures.

CT Bureau