China Mobile China’s leading telecommunication operator has established the world’s largest solar energy-powered base station cluster in Tibet Autonomous Region, following a four-year construction. In 2005, the Tibet Company launched the project to make the best of Tibet’s abundant solar energy resources to boost the coverage of the regional communication network. Mobile signals are required to cover Tibet’s urban and rural areas including tourist zones and frontier sentries.
A common base station may consume 3,600 kilowatts-hour of electricity each year with an annual bill of $ 5,227. However, a solar station costing one million yuan may save more energy and discharge less-carbon emission.By the end of April, China Mobile had set up at least 1,000 base stations in Tibet, with 78.79 percent powered by solar energy. The ratio is expected to have reached 90 percent by the end of 2010.