Bahraini telecommunications firm Batelco has announced the first off-grid mobile site in the region, powered entirely by renewable energy.

The project will utilize onsite wind and solar generation to power its operations, saving upwards of 400MWh of energy per site.

Batelco chief technology officer Rashed Mohamed said: “In the telecom industry, operators often depend on conventional energy sources, which lead to high carbon emissions and noise pollution. Batelco is thrilled with the performance of its first off-grid site and is excited to expand its renewable energy initiatives to mobile sites across the Kingdom, reinforcing our commitment to sustainability and innovation.”

Batelco is the telecommunications arm of Bahraini technology firm Beyon. The company has explored on-site renewable generation for several of its operations. In June 2023, it announced that its Beyon Data Oasis data center in Hamala, Bahrain, had become the first in the country to be powered solely by solar power generated on-site.

Several other companies have also deployed off-grid renewable generation to power their mobile sites. In July, O2 Telefónica activated its first mobile site, which runs independently of the general power supply in Sindlbach, Bavaria, Germany.

According to O2 Telefónica, photovoltaic modules and biomethanol fuel cells supply the newly erected transmission mast with sustainable energy.

Earlier this year, the carrier also built a self-sufficient off-grid radio tower equipped with 5G technology in Kirtorf, in the Hesse region of the country.