Sprint is actively testing and deploying sustainable and renewable energy sources at wireless sites across the country.

Among the energy alternatives Sprint is working with:

Hydrogen fuel cells

Hydrogen fuel cells help maintain wireless service continuity in the event of severe or extended power outages and have been deployed at more than 200 Sprint cell sites across the country. A proven and reliable technology, hydrogen fuel cells have emerged as an alternative to traditional backup power sources, such as lead-acid batteries and noisy diesel generators. A fuel cell runs on hydrogen gas and produces electricity through an electrochemical reaction. The only byproducts of the process are water and heat. Hydrogen fuel cells are environmentally friendly, eliminating the hazardous by-products produced by lead acid batteries or mechanical generators. In addition, since there is no internal combustion involved, they are quiet and appropriate for areas where noise pollution is an issue.

Photovoltaic power

After testing this solar-powered back-up power in California, Sprint expects to deploy it in New York as well. In these sites, signals on Sprint's fiber-optic backbone are amplified so they maintain power. These sites are tied to area electric grids, and if more power is generated than a particular site needs, excess power is fed back into those grids.

Wind power

The upcoming installation of a wind turbine on Sprint's Overland Park, Kan., campus, will allow testing of wind as a potential power source for cell sites and other network uses. Sprint is also testing geothermal cooling at select cell sites, as well as the use of flow batteries.

Sprint expects to invest more than $7 billion this year to further enhance its networks and meet the demand for more extensive mobile broadband coverage across the nation.