The Spanish Confederation of Service Station Employers (CEEES) and the Spanish Gas Association (Sedigas) have signed an agreement to collaborate on promotional activities related to sector decarbonisation through the utilisation of renewable gases, biomethane, and renewable hydrogen.
The agreement, signed by CEEES President Jorge dae Benito and Sedigas President Joan Batalla, also explores opportunities for joint efforts in technology dissemination and the sharing of regulatory examples related to energy transition and the adoption of new mobility fuels.
The first initiative of this collaboration is CEEES joining the Alliance for Biomethane, an initiative led by Sedigas to promote the use of this renewable resource, which has already attracted participation from a dozen companies. These include national businesses organisations from the energy, industry and Spanish agricultural and livestock sectors.
“Many of the service stations grouped under the CEEES umbrella already dispense natural gas for vehicles, either liquefied or compressed, and will be able to supply biomethane very soon, thus contributing to the decarbonisation of mobility,” said Jorge de Benito after signing the agreement.
“We welcome the Alianza por el Biomethane to the confederation and we are convinced that the cooperation between CEEES and Sedigas will result in greater knowledge and awareness among motorists about the benefits that biomethane and renewable hydrogen can bring. to a more sustainable mobility, while favouring the competitiveness and energy sovereignty of Spain,” stated Joan Batalla.
Ericsson commences solar powered 5G site in Texas
Ericsson introduced a new smart and sustainable 5G site showcasing its complete energy-smart network solution in Plano, Texas. This site reinforces Ericsson’s leadership in sustainable mobile networks and highlights the seamless integration of energy-efficient solutions with the utilisation of renewable energy sources.
“We’re thrilled to announce this smart-sustainable 5G site, which serves as a tangible proof point of Ericsson’s leading position in building sustainable mobile networks,” said Kevin Zvokel, Senior Vice President and Head of Networks, Ericsson North America. “Operators can now utilise untapped assets, thanks to this technology, creating new energy cost savings opportunities.”
As a testament to Ericsson’s dedication to environmental responsibility, this 5G site has the potential to operate entirely on solar energy, supplemented by integrated Lithium-ion batteries, for up to 24 hours. Harnessing power from renewable sources is a pivotal decarbonisation strategy for mobile networks, and achieving this intelligently and cost-effectively has posed challenges. However, this energy-smart site successfully addresses these challenges. It exemplifies Ericsson’s commitment to minimising the industry’s carbon footprint, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity, and enhancing grid resilience.
“Mobile operators increasingly need to reduce the energy consumption and carbon emissions of their base stations without sacrificing network coverage or the quality of the user experience,” said Ed Gubbins, Principal Analyst at Global Data. “Ericsson’s smart site solutions for hybrid energy sources are designed to help operators control costs and increase profitability – especially in rural or remote areas or private networks, where traffic volumes are lower and power consumption needs to be especially efficient. Using a variety of tools to increase energy efficiency and sustainability – including solar power, lithium-ion batteries, and advanced software features – can be helpful for improving operator profitability.”
This site includes the ultra-lightweight mid-band Massive MIMO AIR 6419, RAN Processor 6651 along with Enclosure 6160, which comprises of a Solar shelf 6670, lithium-ion Batteries 6612, and Controller 6610 for hybrid energy operation and control.
The site will feature advanced capabilities such as load shifting, peak shaving, and demand response which enables the site to effectively utilise batteries when electricity rates are high and recharge the batteries when electricity rates are lower. This dynamic strategy allows for multiple daily cycles, ensuring optimal cost efficiency by taking advantage of the most favourable electricity prices.
With a unified intelligent management system and power management, including solar power and Lithium-ion batteries, the site continuously optimises for the best energy source.
Phase two of the project will investigate alternative green energy sources like hydrogen-based generators, moving away from diesel reliance. It will also focus on interoperability with power grid vendors to optimise local energy generation and enable selling excess power back to the grid through net metering. Ericsson Network Manager’s premium features, such as the Policy-based Battery Saver, allow operators to reduce energy consumption by selectively disabling radio frequencies, thereby enhancing network resiliency.
Moreover, this site serves as a testing ground for radio hardware and software solutions that enhance energy efficiency alongside smart-site technologies. It opens doors for collaboration with utility companies to explore grid frequency, voltage regulation, and demand response optimisation.
