By adopting a site energy solution that combined solar and diesel to create a stable and reliable power supply for base stations, Safaricom, Kenya's largest operator was able to expand its business in the off-grid areas, and at the same time, reduce energy-related costs. This effectively consolidated the leading position of Safaricom in the Kenyan telecom market, and augmented communications convenience and reliability for local people and visitors.

A need for green

Safaricom, the largest mobile operator in Kenya, had 1,700 base stations that covered 80% of the population. These base stations were distributed not just in large cities, but also in rural and mountainous areas. Due to an incomplete power supply infrastructure, it had to depend on diesel generators for a number of its base stations, thus failing to conform to the country's environmental protection policy and also incurring high maintenance and refilling costs. Thus it needed a new energy source to reconstruct old sites, build new ones, reduce OPEX, and improve network stability, something it had been looking for since 2003.

Safaricom takes the plunge

With average altitudes ranging from 1500m to 1700m, Kenya is rich in solar energy resources. As a result, Safaricom decided to utilize these sustainable natural resources to construct a green communications network.

To help Safaricom utilize the alternative energy, Huawei proposed a site energy solution that combines solar and diesel. Solar energy provide a stable and reliable power supply for base stations, with the original diesel generators retained to back up the solution. Retaining the diesel generators adds flexibility, and further guarantees an unbroken power supply. In this way, the new green solution erases the problem of electricity provision across the extended network and significantly reduces OPEX.

A Masai habitation 50km from Nairobi was the first Safaricom site reconstructed with the Huawei complementary energy solution. This area is not covered by power grids and local residents use small wind turbines to generate electricity for light. The previous dual diesel generators deployed by Safaricom consumed too much diesel and required extensive maintenance, which raised costs to an unsustainable level. Furthermore, the gases emitted were highly polluting.

After site renovation, test data from a trial run indicated that the diesel generators now run just 1.32 hours per day on average, and that diesel consumption was reduced by over 95%, which in turn reduced fuel transportation and maintenance costs by more than 90%.

Having visited the reconstructed site at the Masai habitation, Safaricom's CTO enthusiastically welcomed the reduced OPEX and carbon emissions, and praised the solution as a good choice for Safaricom to expand network coverage to remote areas.

Leaner and greener

The adoption of alternative energy allowed Safaricom to expand its business in the off-grid areas, and at the same time, reduce energy-related costs. This effectively consolidated the leading position of Safaricom in the Kenyan telecom market, and augmented communications convenience and reliability for local people and visitors.

In some areas, solar energy is sufficient to provide enough electricity for base stations, and sometimes generates surplus electricity. Safaricom fully utilizes the surplus energy by sharing it with the local community, who use it to charge their mobile phones. After seeing the benefits, the operator is ready to further explore the green energy field.