tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040149901309753575.post-3742656484800411502008-03-09T13:28:00.000-07:002008-03-09T13:50:56.243-07:00Environmental concern is becoming a higher priority for consumers and businesses alike. The following article covers recent efforts being made by leading wireless companies to utilize alternative energy sources and become greener. <br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Greener Cell Power Creates Challenges</strong><br />By: David Twiddy<br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Associated Press</span><br />March 8, 2008<br /><br />When wireless industry technicians speak of "green" cell towers these days, they're not just talking about making them look more like trees. They're talking about towers powered by wind turbines or solar panels, antennas that get backup energy from hydrogen fuel cells and geothermal cooling for computer equipment. Cell phone companies are experimenting with these and other strategies to reduce their increasingly ubiquitous industry's environmental impact. To be sure, the "greening" of wireless communication is still in its infancy. The vast majority of the nation's more than 200,000 cell towers and antennas run off the same electric grid everybody else does. And even companies experimenting with alternative energy plan to limit its use to backup power....Sprint Nextel Corp began seriously investigating alternative energy in 2004 and has since deployed hydrogen fuel cells at several of its roughly 65,000 sites.<br />"It solves a lot of issues for us regarding the traditional use of diesel generators," said Bob Azzi, Sprint Nextel Corp.'s senior vice president of field engineering and operations.<br />The company has also installed a wind turbine at its headquarters, is experimenting with geothermal cooling as a replacement for conventionally-powered air conditioning in warmer climates and is testing mini turbines in California that are fueled with natural gas and used for backup power....<br /><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080308/ap_on_hi_te/cell_towers_green;_ylt=At7i66I1GiHcNuYHLXMEbSus0NUE">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080308/ap_on_hi_te/cell_towers_green;_ylt=At7i66I1GiHcNuYHLXMEbSus0NUE</a><br /><br />Learn more about the latest cellular devices and service options offered by Sprint-Nextel at:<br /><a href="http://convergence.cellbenefits.com/">http://convergence.cellbenefits.com/</a>1010 NEW INFOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470726011009507059noreply@blogger.com