Vodacom keeps millions of people connected across more than 38 000 sites in Africa, each powered by grids that look very different from one country to the next. “We realised very quickly that decarbonising a network as distributed as ours is not something we could do on our own – this is really something that needs to be managed within an ecosystem and across the value chain,” says Nola Richards, group executive head of ESG and sustainability at Vodacom.
The mobile communications company commissioned Decarbonising Africa’s ICT Sector, a white paper produced with the Carbon Trust, to bring in voices from data centre management, policy making, banking and equipment manufacturing.
Decoupling growth
Connectivity carries how people bank, learn and do business, which puts the ICT sector at the centre of Africa’s energy transition. “The first key role that we play is that of digital inclusion, and then the second part is how we can support the transition to a low-carbon economy while we are doing that expansion,” says Richards.
That expansion comes at an energy cost – 5G may draw more power than 4G, but equipment manufacturers are driving efficiency into every new generation of radios, while network modernisation, data intelligence and AI help Vodacom manage consumption across its footprint.
“Our energy consumption actually increased by about 4% last year, but the terabyte of data per gigawatt hour decreased by 22%,” she explains. “That’s significant because in the past, growth was always linked to emissions, and that decoupling is important because you want to continue to grow, but you don’t want emissions to grow at the same rate.”
Wheeling and dealing
Vodacom’s virtual wheeling platform is an important example of what collaboration across the ecosystem can deliver. With 15 000 network sites across 168 municipalities, many without space for solar panels, putting solar everywhere was never feasible. Working with government and its subsidiary Mezzanine, Vodacom helped create the regulation that allows virtual wheeling and built a digital platform to go with it.
Renewable energy is bought from an independent power producer and pushed into the Eskom grid, and Vodacom receives a credit in return. “The best part is that it is open to all South African corporates, so it’s a way to aggregate demand, support the country as well as drive up the supply of energy,” says Richards.
Getting there took almost two years of engagement. “You can’t find a solution if you’re coming at it with only your perspective and you’re not willing to understand and create some flex in the ecosystem,” she adds, emphasising the need for long-term partnerships.
It’s time for Africa
“Africa has an abundance of renewable energy. We've got hydro, geothermal, the sun, the wind and we've got land, so Africa has just got so much potential, not only from the generation side but even in areas such as carbon capture. Could this be Africa's next leapfrog moment?” asks Richards, who believes the white paper's lessons could reach well beyond the ICT sector and be amplified across every part of the economy.
“If we wait for grid and we wait for fossil fuel, we're not going to achieve the digital inclusion that we want to see,” she ends.
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