Green power fuels 25 per cent of Vodacom Lesotho’s base stations

Vodacom has said that a quarter of its network Lesotho is now powered by ‘green’ base stations using energy saving technologies such as wind and solar power. The base stations are powered independently of diesel generators or the national grid and are among the first of their kind worldwide.

Currently 40 out of a total 165 base station sites in Lesotho are powered through a combination of solar and wind. Vodacom Lesotho’s other technologies include power system optimisation that ensures that in the event of power failure, a traditional site continues to operate for up to three hours on stored battery power before a diesel generator kicks in.

In addition, smart meters are used to monitor power consumption and remote control systems are used to operate base station sites remotely both reducing the need for physical site visits.

Vodacom Lesotho said that it plans to build 80 new sites that use only renewable energy sources over the next four years. It will also refurbish existing operational sites to reduce its reliance on diesel generators. Smart meters have already been installed in two sites, one green site and the other running off the electricity grid, in a test to more accurately measure power consumed.