The hottest green topic these days is how to make the most efficient use of renewable resources. Experts across all industries are trying to figure out how to effectively harness the power of the sun and the wind to generate the energy that is needed to power the devices used in their fields. In the area of mobile phones there has been a lot of media attention on the development of various methods of using solar power. Solar powered phone chargers, charging packs and handsets have all made headlines. However the sun isn’t the only renewable resource that the mobile phone industry is interested in using. Wind power can also be used in conjunction with cell phone service. This might not get as much attention as solar powered phones have gotten but it can be just as effective if the kinks in its development get worked out. It’s definitely something to learn more about if you’re interested in how the mobile phone industry is going to continue to go green.
Wind-Powered Mobile Phone Networks
The most cutting-edge work that we’re seeing in terms of using wind power for cell phones is the development of mobile phone towers that can be powered by the wind. We’re still in the early stages of seeing this come to fruition but it’s beginning to happen. A United States based company called Helix plans to start a 1-3 month trial of two wind turbines that would be used to power grid-connected mobile phone towers. In other words, if this is successful, wind energy could be used to power an entire mobile phone network. Under the right conditions it might even be possible for the wind turbines that are used to power the cell phone network to actually generate enough wind energy to give a surplus back to the grid.
Wind-Powered Mobile Phone Masts and Towers
The aforementioned project by Helix is an important one because it is designed to power an entire grid-connected network of mobile phone towers. However this is not the first time that we have seen wind power used to power mobile masts. In fact, there are quite a few different projects underway around the world which are working on this use of wind power. For example, a telecommunications company in Austria announced earlier this year that it had succeeded in using wind energy to power eighty percent of the energy needs of one of its mobile mast base stations. The difference between projects like this one and the Helix project is that the other projects are powering mobile towers that are not grid-connected. These are typically mobile towers that are in remote areas that are difficult to connect to the grid. They still need power to operate so businesses have looked at ways to use renewable resources to generate that power. Wind is a great option for bringing energy to these mobile masts.
Wind-Powered Mobile Phone Charger
Wind isn’t only used on a big scale to power mobile phone towers and networks. It can also be used on a small scale to power devices related to mobile phones. The most obvious example of this is the development of a wind-powered mobile phone charger. There is a charger like this which was announced back in 2007. It’s a product called the Orange Wind Generator which was built by a company called GotWind. The device is able to harness the energy from the wind twenty four hours per day and convert it into electricity. This electricity can be used to power a variety of handheld devices including mobile phones. It’s a small, portable piece of equipment which would allow you to charge your phone anywhere that allowed you to put the charger outside to capture the energy of the wind. Unfortunately, this product has still not been made available on the market. Nevertheless, the prototype for the product was successful. A similar device created by Indian students back in 2005 was also successful. With interest in renewable resources growing rapidly and solar-powered chargers already on the market it is possible that there may be increased demand for a wind-based product such as this one in the near future.
Will We Ever See Wind-Powered Mobile Handsets?
We’ve seen a few solar-powered handsets make headlines over the years. Will the same thing happen with wind-powered handsets? To date there have not been any handsets created that are powered entirely (or even mostly) by wind power. Perhaps the technology just isn’t there yet. Surely this is something that someone in the green tech business is working on though so it has to be just a matter of time before we see a wind-powered concept phone released somewhere.
Wind-Focused Carbon Offsets for Cell Phone Users
Ideally individuals, handset makers and cell phone carriers will all get active about going green and we’ll see wind powered cell phones really take off in the market over the next few years. However, this might not happen. If you want to go green today and you can’t find the devices available to allow you to do so then you always have the option of purchasing carbon credits that are designed to offset the green footprint left by your mobile phone use. You can specifically choose to purchase credits that encourage the development of wind as a source of renewable energy. In fact, there was a program launched last year specifically for this purpose. A company called Renewable Choice Energy launched a retail product called Green Your Phone cards. These cards were carbon footprint offsets that used your money to fund wind power projects. The product came with two decals for your phone to let people know that you were taking this green action. Hey, it’s not quite the same as a wind powered cell phone but it’s better than nothing, right?
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Amazing as always