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DOCOMO Launches Japan's First Demonstration Experiment of Self-powered Hydropower Base Station
May 31, 2024 | JCN NewswireEstimated reading time: 1 minute
NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced that it launched Japan's first demonstration experiment(1) of a self-powered hydropower cellular base station on May 30. The experiment, which involves DOCOMO's hydroelectric power-generation system and a jet turbine developed by Professor Yukihiro Shimatani of the Prefectural University of Kumamoto, aims to prove the feasibility of a self-powered base station using water flowing in an irrigation canal, etc., as a sustainable, low-cost solution for mobile communication networks in rural areas.
Based on the results of this experiment, DOCOMO hopes to introduce a hydropower system for the sustainable operation of self-powered base stations in mobile communications networks by March 2025.
The jet turbine incorporates a nozzle that emits a stream of water, or "jet," to drive the turbine's rotation in the opposite direction and thereby generate electricity. While conventional hydroelectric systems use a separate nozzle and turbine, this device combines both components in a design so simple it can be manufactured with a 3D printer.
The newly developed hydropower system converts electricity into a form suitable for powering base stations. It also collects data on electric current, voltage and power, as well as water flow and pressure, which are then transmitted to DOCOMO's Energy Management System (EMS) platform to monitor and control power driving the base station. The platform also visualizes the amount of CO2 reduction realized with this sustainable hydropower system.
While DOCOMO's green base stations mainly use solar power, this initiative aims to use renewable energy such as hydropower in places where solar panels are not practical.
DOCOMO aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from its operations by 2030 and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from its entire supply chain by 2040. Going forward, DOCOMO expects to increasingly adopt renewable energy as part of its commitment to decarbonization and the realization of a sustainable, carbon-neutral world.
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