Press Releases

Budapest, October 8, 2009

Realizing the impacts of climate change, all over the world researchers are seeking new solutions and opportunities to reduce significantly the impact of human activities on the environment. The requirements of sustainable development and long-term, efficient management of the resources of the Earth necessitate a new approach and technical solutions. The experiment of T-Mobile, by which in the autumn of 2008 the company commissioned the first base station of the country also running on PEM cells, plays an important role in the implementation of the strategic objectives of Magyar Telekom applying to sustainable development.

After the successful testing of the experimental station of T-Mobile for almost one year, the technical solution enabling the regular installation of this energy source has been worked out. By that, in 2009 PEM cells will be installed on five more base stations for the purpose of providing the necessary power, and in 2010 additional stations will be built by this technology. T-Mobile is a pioneer in the application of PEM cells in Europe.

The most important advantage of the PEM cell is that it uses hydrogen to produce electricity, in such a manner that on the surface of the membrane positive hydrogen ions and free electrons are generated. It is possible to generate electricity from the multitude of electrons, and the hydrogen ions will unite with the oxygen available in the air and leave the cell as water. Hydrogen is one of the most fundamental materials of the Earth, it is there in every drop of water and in almost every organic chemical compound. Therefore there is an almost infinite supply of the energy that can be extracted from hydrogen. For example, it can be generated from water by electrolysis, for which we can obtain electricity in a natural way, from wind generators. In a PEM cell the conversion of energy takes place silently, without moving parts or the use of harmful materials. Its environment friendliness is characterized by the water-hydrogen-water cyclical process, in addition, the PEM energy cell is a kind of “no maintenance” appliance and is very durable.

By a PEM cell 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.

It is also an important objective to involve more Hungarian researchers and enterprises in the utilization of state-of-the-art environment saving base stations. It is a case in point that the filling facilities of refillable hydrogen cylinders in Hungary started developing thanks to this project. And the beneficiaries of the mobile and installed hydrogen filling stations will be the general public, since these stations are essential in the operation of hydrogen-driven vehicles.