How T-Mobile Became the First Wireless Company to Achieve 100% Renewable Energy

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by | Jan 31, 2022

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(Credit: Pixabay)

In 2018, T-Mobile was the first and only US provider to create a plan to source 100% of its total electricity usage with renewable energy by the end of 2021. Today, the company announced it has become the first in wireless to do it. The company met its RE100 goal through a combination of renewable energy investments that support the company’s efforts to mobilize for a thriving planet.

How They Did It

To help reach the 100% benchmark, T-Mobile developed a renewable energy strategy that includes eight virtual power agreements, 19 retail agreements, one Green Direct program, and unbundled Renewable Energy Certificates that support projects across the country. As a result, the company has invested in enough wind and solar power annually to account for every unit of electricity consumed. The nine large wind and solar farm projects alone (which include the virtual power agreements and Green Direct program) are contracted to provide T-Mobile with approximately 3.4 million MWh of clean energy annually.

Beyond agreements that directly contribute to T-Mobile’s energy matching efforts, the company also supports 37 community solar projects, which represent greening local energy grids with more than 2.1 million MWh over 25 years for Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, and Oregon.

T-Mobile’s commitment to renewable energy is complemented by an enterprise-level focus on energy conservation, which includes switching to smart thermostats and ENERGY STAR certified LED lighting in retail stores, upgrading mechanical and electrical systems in data centers, optimizing air management to keep equipment cool at locations such as cell sites, and installing energy-efficient radio equipment on cell towers, among other things.

Moving forward, the company plans to add more renewable energy projects to its portfolio to match future electricity usage, explore onsite solar infrastructure and invest in organizations delivering clean energy to more communities across the US. Plus, the company plans to share new commitments aimed at further decarbonizing its business later this year.

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