Press Releases

Budapest, November 10, 2009

The third specialized day of the series of events of the Hydrogen Section of the Hungarian Energy Association (MET) on fuel cells was held today, with T-Mobile as one of the organizers. One of the reasons for the involvement of the operator is that it has been the first operator in Hungary to apply environment-saving, hydrogen-based technology for the installation of base stations.

With so much focus on sustainable development, alternative solutions replacing fossil energies are playing an increasingly significant role, and one of the most promising solutions is the use hydrogen as an energy carrier. Hydrogen is suitable both for the storage of large quantities of energy and use in mobile telephone networks. It is a further advantage of hydrogen that it can be obtained from several sources through various technologies. Hydrogen is a “green energy source,” because both the production and the extraction of energy from it are environment-friendly processes. The hydrogen fuel cell, which is capable of generating electricity directly, is an efficient tool of this latter.

On the specialized event of the Hydrogen Section of MET, the experts reviewed issues of utilization of high temperature energy cells. The participants sought answers to several questions, one of which was the possible solution of using hydrogen energy to supply energy to large communities. It is an important objective to involve more Hungarian researchers and enterprises in the utilization of state-of-the-art environment-saving technology, like the technology used for the base stations of T-Mobile. One of the lecturers was the representative of a company that has gone past the experimental stage and now produces these cells in industrial quantities.

Tibor Pollák, the Director of T-Mobile responsible for the installation of base stations reported advances in the field of hydrogen cell applications. After successful experiments, T-Mobile started the regular implementation of environment-saving base stations also operated on hydrogen. In a PEM cell the conversion of energy takes place silently, without moving parts or the use of harmful materials. By its application it is possible to implement a cyclical process by which energy consumption becomes fully “green,” i.e. free of carbon dioxide.

By the combined application of state-of-the-art technology and further environment-friendly solutions it is possible to install fully “green” base stations, i.e. we can replace diesel generators, battery and air conditioners, thereby reducing both energy consumption and carbon-dioxide emission. In 2009 T-Mobile will install PEM cells running on hydrogen source on five additional base stations, and in 2010 additional stations will be built by this technology.