The company said that, by July this year, its entire European network will be powered by 100% renewable electricity — creating what it called “a Green Gigabit Net for customers across our networks”.
Meanwhile the company said it had installed a “Smartflower” solar panel (pictured) at its Spanish headquarters in Madrid.
Vodafone said: “The Smartflower imitates a sunflower’s movement by automatically opening and shutting at sunrise and sunset, ensuring that it always obtains the largest amount of clean energy possible. This feature makes the Smartflower up to 30% more efficient than a normal solar panel.”
The agreement Iberdrola marks another step taken on Vodafone’s plan to halve its environmental impact by 2025 and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040, the company said.
In addition to the electric sunflower, Vodafone has installed photovoltaic panels on the rooftop of its Madrid office, Vodafone Plaza.
These panels can generate up to 558MWh of electricity a year, equivalent to the average annual consumption of 170 homes in the country.
Vodafone said it has also replaced its entire fleet — over 612 vehicles — with low-emission alternatives and has gone on to equip its premises with recharging points.
A report last year said Vodafone, BT and Virgin Media were leading the TMT industry in terms of sustainability pledges.
