KDDI and NEDO demo Tribrid tech to reduce BTS carbon footprints 80%

Image credit: Gutzemberg / Shutterstock.com

The so-called Tribrid Project in Indonesia by KDDI and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) – which aims to cut base station carbon footprints by 80% – has been registered as an official project under the Japan-Indonesia JCM (Joint Crediting Mechanism) Joint Committee.

The JCM facilitates diffusion of low carbon technologies as well as implementation of mitigation actions, to contribute to sustainable development of Indonesia.

The Tribrid system is designed to reduce electric power consumption of cellular base stations by selecting most efficient power source (depending on time of day and weather conditions) from three sources: commercial-use electric power service, solar panel electricity generation and battery charging with late-night power service.

tribrid project concept
Image credit: KDDI

In this demonstration project, the Tribrid System has been installed in 20 conventional mobile base stations in Indonesia to demonstrate that the overall greenhouse gas emission of BTSs can be reduced by up to 80%.

In Indonesia, while BTSs are proliferating, many lack access to commercial-use power service and are subject to power outages. Diesel electric power generators installed to ensure stable power supply consume fuel and impact the environment.

This demonstration project is designed to verify electric load control at BTSs, which involves managing the power generated by solar panels, power stored in lithium ion batteries, commercial-use power service and power supplied by diesel generators at Tribrid BTSs set up in Indonesia. While making it possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cut diesel fuel consumption, Tribrid technologies also make it possible to ensure long-term stability in the telecommunications environment, says KDDI.

The project aims to verify the effectiveness of Tribrid at BTSs in tropical rainforest locations and through the monsoon season. As progress is made in optimizing the system for a wide range of environments, the project aims to have demonstrated by its conclusion in February 2019 the energy conservation equivalent of a cut of up to 80% in greenhouse gas emissions.

Moving forward, NEDO and KDDI will cooperate with the Indonesian Ministry of Industry to further spread the use within Indonesia of patented Tribrid technologies used in Japan. By converting 5% to 10% of the base stations in Indonesia that lack commercial-use power sources or are otherwise susceptible to power supply instability, they aim to improve energy conservation by the equivalent of approximately 70,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

KDDI began introducing Tribrid BTSs in Indonesia as part of an initiative of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in January 2015. By January 2018, a NEDO program had completed the adoption of Tribrid at 20 BTSs in Indonesia and was moving forward with the demonstration project.

KDDI built the first Tribrid BTS in Japan in December 2009. Since then, the number of Tribrid BTSs has expanded to 100 nationwide.

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