The Greening of Xohm

“Sprint is asking for total solutions of the entire industry, not just fuel cell vendors,” Blanchard said. “From the standpoint of the RFP, they're very forward-looking.”

The WiMAX network isn't Sprint's first foray into fuel cells or alternative technologies. Joy Dill, network engineering manager for Sprint, said the company already has deployed fuel cells to 250 sites in its nationwide CDMA network. Those sites were primarily selected in high-risk areas such as the Gulf Coast, where hurricanes and other inclement weather routinely cripple communications, creating diesel fuel shortages and making it difficult for maintenance crews to get to cell sites.

But Sprint hasn't just been investigating backup power alternatives. It has launched field trials of sites powered by wind turbines and solar cells, and it even has investigated the possibility of powering base stations with geothermal energy, where the geological structure of an area could be used. What's more, Sprint has tried to incorporate multiple alternative energy methods to create completely self-sustaining sites, Dill said. In one trial, solar cells are used as the primary power source for a site, with fuel cells kicking in during dark periods. When the sun again begins to shine, part of the energy output of the solar generator is directed into a reformer, which uses electrical current to generate hydrogen, which in turn is used to recharge the fuel cells. The end result is an almost completely self-sustaining site, which needs no access to the power grid and could run independently for up to 30 days.

Dill said it would take some time to achieve that level of alternative energy use, but Sprint has set some aggressive goals for weaning at least part of its network off traditional power sources to create a greener business. Sprint has joined the EPA's Climate Leaders program to investigate methods of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA also ranked Sprint No. 15 in its list of 500 companies actively purchasing green power sources. And while the fuel cells are the only alternative energy source actively being deployed into the network, Sprint has hooked a good deal of its administrative infrastructure into such sources. At its headquarters in Overland Park, Kan., 75% of the power comes from wind turbines, per an agreement with Kansas City Power & Light.