Globe strives to minimize carbon emissions throughout its network by using renewable fuel in smaller amounts, achieving lower emissions, and ensuring energy-efficient heat removal across its operations.
Some of the green network technologies that the organization has successfully deployed system-wide since 2014 include fuel cell systems, direct-current generators, lithium-ion batteries, and free cooling systems.
Data on energy and emissions are tracked every month, while data validation is done quarterly.
By 2020, there will be 203 fuel cell systems, 6,467 lithium-ion batteries, 212 Direct Current Generators, 60 DC-Hybrid Generators, and 538 free cooling systems installed across Globe’s national network.
Compared to conventional generator sets, fuel cell systems emit fewer emissions and run quietly, eliminating noise pollution in nearby areas. In 2014, Globe began deploying fuel cell systems as a green alternative to diesel generator sets that provide backup power to cell sites.
Lithium-ion battery deployment aims to replace lead-acid batteries used to fuel cell sites. This green solution is more heat-resistant, charges faster, and has a ten-fold longer operating life than conventional lead-acid batteries. This results in less waste over time while ensuring a more reliable backup power system.
For several years, the telco has also used DC generators and DC-hybrid generators to minimize fuel consumption and provide a more cost-effective solution for open field sites. Furthermore, free cooling systems (FCS) have been installed at field sites to reduce the power usage of air conditioning systems. FCS employs regulated ambient airflow to maintain optimum equipment operating temperatures inside a cabin while ensuring reliability and availability.
These solutions were listed in the GSMA’s recently released Mobile Net Zero – State of the Industry on Climate Action 2021 study. The study also highlighted Globe’s ISO 14001-certified Environmental Management System and its dedication to environmental accountability through the Climate Disclosure Project.
By 2030, Globe will have upgraded infrastructure and retrofitted its industries to make them more resilient through improved resource utilization and greater adoption of renewable and environmentally sound technologies, resulting in a 30% reduction in CO2 emission intensity compared to 2017 levels.
“We continue to work with partners to integrate clean energy technologies, such as solar panels and fuel cells, into our operations. These would increase Globe’s dependence on renewable energy sources, further decarbonizing our operations. Globe continues to innovate and collaborate with partners to integrate sustainability and champion energy conservation within the company in support of the Race To Zero global campaign,” said Ernest Cu, Globe President, and Chief Executive Officer.
The global Race To Zero initiative is driven by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the COP26 Presidency. It is supported by the GSMA, the global mobile industry body. This activity is part of the GSMA’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net-zero by 2050 through all mobile network operators’ combined efforts.
All of this is part of Globe’s contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, such as UN SDG No. 12—Sustainable Consumption and Production—which aims to achieve economic growth and sustainable development by urgently reducing the company’s environmental footprint. It also involves decoupling economic growth from environmental destruction, growing resource productivity, and encouraging sustainable lifestyles by improving how people generate and consume products and resources; SDG No. 13 calls for immediate action to tackle climate change and its consequences.
Source: Globe Newsroom