DOCOMO and PLDT Verify Solar Power Generation Efficiency Increase to 61% in the Philippines

en.Wedoany.com Reported - NTT DOCOMO, INC. (DOCOMO) and PLDT Inc. (PLDT) and its mobile arm Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) have successfully completed a verification of a system in the Philippines. The system is designed for green base stations, combining renewable energy such as solar power with DOCOMO's weather-forecast-linked lithium-ion battery control technology, enabling base station battery charging and discharging to be scheduled according to weather forecasts.

The verification covered two green base stations: one near Metro Manila and another in Cebu. The two base stations have different operating environments and power supply conditions. In terms of configuration, in addition to solar power generation facilities and battery energy storage units, the base stations also adopt DOCOMO's Energy Management System (EMS) platform, into which the weather-forecast-linked lithium-ion battery control technology is integrated.

PLDT noted that this is the first project in the Philippines to pre-optimize power generation, storage, and supply for telecom base stations based on weather and power demand forecasts.

Traditional solar-powered base stations often rely on the grid at night and during severe weather, which may cause service interruptions during power outages. This demonstration uses high-capacity batteries and locally adapts DOCOMO's weather-forecast-linked battery control algorithm.

The system optimizes power generation, storage, and supply around the clock, providing reliable service at night or during power outages; renewable energy utilization is therefore improved, grid electricity consumption and CO₂ emissions are reduced, and base station operations become greener.

The demonstration data shows that solar power generation efficiency increased from 38% to 61%. DOCOMO originally developed this technology for green base stations in Japan, and this application is its first deployment outside Japan.

As a PLDT shareholder, DOCOMO maintains a long-term, solid relationship with PLDT through financial investment and technical cooperation. This reflects their existing ongoing collaboration and aligns with their shared goal of advancing the decarbonization of communications infrastructure through a stable, long-term alliance. DOCOMO is committed to working with PLDT to develop sustainable communications infrastructure in the Philippines and the surrounding region, promoting sustainable growth and creating new value.