Mobile operator Vodafone UK has today switched on what they claim is the country’s first wind and solar-powered 4G mobile phone masts, which went live as part of a new trial in rural Pembrokeshire (Wales). The new technology is intended to help cover “not-spots” in the most remote and inaccessible locations.

At this point we should say that Vodafone aren’t the only network provider to experiment with self-powered masts. A number of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband ISPs (e.g. Airband) have also deployed similar technologies to help serve remote communities, usually those where bringing mains power to the site would not be economically viable. But these are often much smaller masts, and they don’t do mobile.

In theory, the operator’s new approach, which reflects a partnership with wind turbine technology specialists Crossflow Energy and mobile infrastructure partner Cornerstone, could also help to support delivery of the existing £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) – aiming to cover 95% of the UK’s landmass with 4G (mobile broadband) by the end of 2025.

The mast is designed to be “extremely quiet, making it viable for sensitive sites such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty” and it can also be “filtered out as a solid object by radar, birds and bats, so it is easily avoided, making it less harmful to wildlife.” But as you can see from the picture, this technology, which was first proposed last year (here), is anything but discreet.

By the looks of it, Vodafone’s new mast has all the aesthetic appeal of a giant upside-down lawnmower that has been stuck on top of a very high pole – with the added bonus of a giant cooking whisk. It probably wouldn’t look out of place in the Tate Modern. Nevertheless, if it works, it works.

Andrea Dona, Chief Network Officer and Development Director at Vodafone, said:

“Connectivity is vital to everyone, no matter where you live. This self-powering mobile phone mast, with on-site battery storage, could help us connect places that were previously impossible to reach. It will also help us reduce carbon emissions and minimise our impact on local environments.”

If this trial is a success, we would like to roll out more ‘self-powering’ masts, with a focus on areas with poor or no coverage.”

The trial itself is being conducted at Home Farm in the rural village of Eglwyswrw, which is home to over 700 people. It will run for two years, and any data gathered will help Vodafone optimise the technology and determine which sites are most suitable for ‘self-powering’ masts. Sadly, Vodafone didn’t say precisely what kind of cell equipment or mobile bands the mast will support, or whether it could handle 5G (we assume they’ve planned for it).

In addition, masts like this could also help Vodafone to reduce carbon emissions and support their target of reaching Net Zero UK operations by 2027, but that may depend upon how many of them they actually decide to deploy.

Now we have a video..

Getting power is only half the problem, most rural areas have electricity not too far away, backhaul is far more of an issue as it can be many miles to the nearest node. Sadly they fail to mention how this is being dealt with.

I suspect the answer there is the microwave on the other side of the picture…

Yes, it does look to be a round Microwave dish / antenna on the other side. Fine for 4G, since the demands would be manageable within the power envelope.

The Tate Modern’s function is to display modern tat. This does not qualify as it does something useful and isn’t ugly enough.

A great development, how will it perform if we have an EMP?

It has big, unshielded high-gain antennae and unshielded electrics. Unless the EMP is very localised so that the mast itself isn’t in line of sight it’s not going to end well.

Given the two most likely sources of EMP, high atmosphere air burst nuclear weapon or stellar radiation, will cover a huge area, it’s not looking good.

@An Engineer Quote “…high atmosphere air burst nuclear weapon…”

If the EMP is from such an event, I suspect that having a working mobile signal on a remote mast will be relatively low on the list of things to worry about!

Same goes for any massive EMP event to be fair. Our way of life would be over whether solar flare or nuclear weapon.

An EMP would take out most, if not all, IC’s containing transistors. The only tech completely resistant to EMP is old tech, like strowger exchanges, and equipment using valve technology. All that said, you can bet that Governments will take EMP attacks into account, and have radio equipment containing modern valve tech, and fixed line network impervious to EMP, to ensure command and control networks are in place in such an event.

That and modern technology specifically hardened against EMP. Plenty of that knocking around though largely military applications due to cost.

Can actually hire space in EMP protected data centres. Pretty cool.

y’all know what TEMPEST is. Right?

This avoids having to get any wayleaves and undertake tortuous civils for either power or connectivity… it has to be a good idea.

Only to be stopped by planning due to appearance and effect on AONB and Conservation area,and of course you have to get a landowner on board so won’t be happening in some areas.

All I could think at the end was “mmm dinner” 😀

Isn’t that village in a Conservation area? How are they granted permission? In my area a Telegraph pole mast is not allowed as a Conservation area, certainly no consistency to planning rules in UK.

Only permanent structures need planning permission under UK planning laws, this could be a good workaround for those areas where nimbys are blocking installations.

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