Green Energy and TeleComs in Africa
With the new year having started, and following on my article earlier HERE, one of my focus in 2012 also in terms of Web Design will be on “Green Energy”, picking up on a chapter I’ve always been actively involved in, also in my film work in Europe. I’ve spent some time over the holiday season to finally catch up on the African situation as a whole and South Africa in particular. After a number of discussions following COP 17 in Durban, I dug through heaps of materials collected at the AfricaCom Communications Congress in Cape Town (November 2011) to find out more about the correlation of Green Energy and TeleComs in Africa.
While “going green” has sort of become a marketing cliche that doesn’t rip people from their chairs anymore, the fact is that climate change and greenhouse gases affect and concern each and everyone of us – even down here in the relatively green boonies – and we better become aware of their potentially devastating impact on our environment, us as people and especially future generations.
Looking at the map indicating projected climatic changes for Africa – especially also for South Africa – the future is hot, dry and grim. No use pointing fingers any longer – it’s time to plan and, much more important: to ACT!
Fortunately, South Africa has serious plans in place – they ‘just’ have to be implemented :)
Green Energy and TeleComs in AfricaSeeing that AfricaCom reflected massive future-oriented planning and development on the African continent and being of the opinion that we should learn from the mistakes made predominantly in the industrialized Northern Hemisphere but not repeat them on our forgotten and comparatively poor continent where modern communication via handhold devices is and has been spreading like a wildfire over vast distances with no other form of communication and connection to the rest of the world, my interest was to see if and how TeleComs integrated the Green Energy concept in their massive operations in Africa.
While we take immediate note of the fact that “power” (electricity) is a huge challenge throughout and this of course has decisive implications on how African countries operate and what their constraints and conflicts in terms of struggling and/or emerging economies in especially this connection are, the fact is that the ‘green’ element – in other words alternative energies – are increasingly part of the general planning, research and development. While this may seem like a drop in the ocean, it’s a beginning… and it creates awareness. It’s about TIME!
I listed a few examples to illustrate what some of the big TeleCom companies actually do:
1.
MTN : the company uses a new tri-generation power plant in Johannesburg (SA) to power data centres, offices and air-con systems. Here one needs to know that this 2-megawatt plant is powered by natural gas that is piped in over 874 km from Mozambique!!! It looks like a normal diesel engine but runs on methane! This tri-generation plant @ cost R32 million (about U$4 mio) allows MTN to register for the UN carbon credits project for corporates – a first in Africa! ROI is expected over 5 years due to large power savings from ESKOM (South Africa’s mega electricity mogul). This is a step forward…
2.
Meanwhile, MTN’s fierce competitior Vodacom say they are hard at work in terms of a low-carbon future. Their Vodafone Innovation Center in Jo’burg (SA) is powered by renewable energy. Expect something really ‘substantial’ over the next few years.
3.
Ericsson’s great “Millenium Villages” project (…connecting rural villages in Africa since 2007) focuses on renewable and sustainable electricity solutions using diesel, solar and wind power to turn their networks.
I add these:
4.
Samsung launched its “Eco Management 2013 initiative” aiming at leading in sustainability within the industry… and being on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2013. They are already huge producers of mobile devices on the continent and their expansion plans in Africa are simply massive for 2012 alone! Good to see a environmentally conscious approach and clear goals set and implemented already.
5.
Apple has launched greener manufacturing initiatives and reduced its packaging of the iPhone leading to a reduction of 6% from the transportation of devices. They claim to be the “… only company in our industry that can claim that every product we sell not only meets but exceeds the strict energy guidelines of the Energy Star specification”.
While some may see all this as typical window-dressing, it all adds up and points in the right direction. However… much more needs to be done!
Thinking ahead for future generations – never mind our feelings for Mother Nature – , today’s highly profitable companies in the TeleCom sector have to be called to the table when it comes to introducing their products also in terms of planning good, emission-free Waste Management or Recycling. Especially in Africa… why? Because that’s where the negative climatic effects of first world industries and lifestyle hit home the hardest: the poor. And YES! We Care!
Time for responsibility and – Ubuntu!
Addiction to Communication DevicesMeanwhile, Africa is the 2nd largest market worldwide in terms of handheld mobile devices and growing as this ‘addiction’ to communication devices won’t stop… and there are huge developments to improve communication, meaning this market will grow massively over the next years. While manufacturers will always find smarter ways to manufacture, package and recycle these mobile devices, what came through very clearly at the AfricaCom Congress is that “… there simply aren’t enough power and other required resources to take the kind of communication that first world residents are used to and replicate them in emerging markets.” (Africa Telecoms)
Fazit:
1. Green Technology for TeleCom leaders in Africa is an absolute must;
1. There is a massive and continuously growing need for sustainable power, meaning clean, ‘green’ and affordable electricity;
2. There is a huge interest in keeping costs down (eg. MTN spends over U$150 million on diesel every year in Nigeria and wants to reduce that with its tri-generation plant…) and… while I am not aware this was really covered at all at the Congress itself but it’s a growing concern everywhere:
3. A clean, ‘green’ and affordable way to get rid of the old devices, batteries, etc – meaning recycling or emission-free waste management are absolutely vital.
The Time is NOW!
There will be more…
