Calling on Hydrogen

The inside of a hydrogen fuel cell like the ones Sprint uses.

Image: ReliOn Inc.

Sprint Nextel has been looking for alternatives to diesel backup generators that are typically the only way to keep calls coming when hurricanes, wildfires, or electrical-system overloads cut the power to cell-phone towers.

In the fall, with the help of a $7.3 million federal grant and $10 million of its money, the telecom will begin rolling out a second phase of its experiments with hydrogen fuel cells. Sprint began using the cells in 2005, eventually adding around 250 of them to cell towers in areas most likely to see power failures, said Bob Azzi, senior vice president of network for the Overland Park, Missouri-based company. With the U.S. Department of Energy grant, the company is adding 260 cells to towers in California, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and upgrading 70 cells in Texas and Louisiana.

Hydrogen fuel cells work like a battery, using the readily available substance to create electricity and emitting little more than oxygen and water. They’re also much quieter than diesel generators and can provide as much as 72 hours of power without needing refueling, compared with eight hours or less for diesel.

Assuming the field trials succeed, Azzi said he’d like to eventually replace all the backup systems with fuel cells.

“It not only has an environmental benefit but potentially has a tremendous business benefit that manifests itself in more reliable network performance,” he said.

For more on Sprint Nextel's hydrogen cell plans, click here to read the full story from the Kansas City Business Journal (subscription required).