An interesting white paper from Ericsson, about how to achieve energy-efficient, sustainable mobile communications through network optimization, site optimization and alternative energy sources.

Ericsson projects regarding sustainability includes the use of renewable energy for both network equipment and also some other small projects as solar power mobile chargers.

One example is with China Mobile, running 252 wind and solar sites in Inner Mongolia. Photo from Ericsson.

Solar powered mobile charger. Photo from Ericsson.

In my opinion, this type of work is a good example of the relation between ICT and Sustainable Development, both by:

+ ICTD: Providing connectivity in developing rural areas, closing the digital divide.

+ Green IT: Reducing the environmental impact of  ICT infrastructure.

Photo from Ericsson.

I found an interesting programme called The Green Power for Mobile that wants to promote the use of renewable energy for mobile networks. The plan is both to increase connectivity to people lacking access to regular electricity and to substitute diesel in those places where there is off-grid infrastructure based on fossil fuels.

That is such a great project! I will keep a look about how it is developing.

Photo from Ericsson.

From the time in Ericsson I remember their projects about using renewable energy powered mobile systems. From the base stations, to mobile solar chargers as shown in the picture. Now they have a nice specific site presenting their projects with videos and links to several white papers.

One thought. Shouldn’t this idea be extended to normal base stations? For instances retroffiting network equipment in sunny south spain with solar panels. Even if you keep it on the grid without batteries, it would reduce the total energy consumption of the site and probably resell energy on the grid in the sunniest times.

I would keep an eye about this. A sustainable pervasive information cloud.

Electronic reading has some unexpected advantages (and some disadvantages that is true). Last day by the lake in Södraskog I discovered one, no need to hold the pages against the wind!

Living off-grid, originally uploaded by It’s a mobile world.

I’m out in the Swedish’s countryside enjoying peaceful and sunny holidays. But not even here I can stop thinking about my research.
This days I’ve been experimenting with high-tech living off-grid, using my mobile phone for taking pictures and uploading directly to flickr using 3G and then blogging from it, using the sony ereader in the outdoors instead of carrying a heavy bunch of books, reading my emails and updating facebook in the middle of the forest, and using only solar energy to charge the devices!
How can ICT and mobility help living more sustainable in rural settings? how these technologies can help living off-grid, in places without electricity?