Smart shifts to clean energy for cell sites

Smart Communications, the wireless arm of PLDT Inc., will start its shift to green energy by the second quarter of 2021 with the rollout of fuel cell sites.

File photo: Smart logo

Smart starts the switch to green energy

This move comes after the announcement of the Department of Energy late last year that the Filipino government will no longer accept proposals to build new coal power plants, from the new Energy Conservation and Efficiency Act signed into law in 2019.

The company said the cell sites, powered by fuel cell technology, would initially be deployed to "challenged-grid" areas in the Philippines.

According to Smart, fuel cell technology is based on methanol-powered fuel, which can be combined with solar, wind, and other renewable resources to present a sustainable, cost-effective ecosystem.

It provides virtually emission-free power and does not produce particulate pollutants or unburned hydrocarbons.

PLDT and Smart are active advocates of sustainable development. As we face daunting challenges on how to protect our environment and promote more equitable social development, Smart’s cutting-edge technologies can play a significant role in rallying the right socio-environmental mindset and driving a greater sense of responsibility to the planet, said Smart Communications President and CEO and PLDT Chief Revenue Officer Alfredo S. Panlilio.

Smart is tapping Denmark-based renewable energy company SerEnergy to roll out more than 90 green cell sites this year.