This story on the BBC’s web site says GSMA, a fund to help people in developing countries gain access to wireless phone service, will be using locally-produced biodiesel to fuel mobile base stations in India. The project is expected to help the vast majority of India’s 1.2 billion people living in areas with, at best, fragmented coverage get phone service.

“It is about connecting the unconnected,” said Dawn Hartley, development fund manager at the GSMA.

Backers of the plan say one of the biggest issues has been fueling these base stations. Conventional fuels are expensive and dirty for the environment. Biodiesel, made from locally-grown Jatropha trees, offers a clean, affordable alternative. Ten base stations in Western India are expected to be open by mid-year.