A British company has announced plans to combine wind and solar energy technologies to help power cell phone towers.

According to Global Technologies Limited, its small wind turbines will work in conjunction with solar energy technologies to provide sustainable power for cell phone towers.

"Energy is one of the top expense items for mobile network operators," said the company's managing director Clint Wheelock. "As solar and wind equipment become more cost-effective in the next few years, renewable energy will be an increasingly attractive option for base station power, in combination with batteries and fuel cells."

In its announcement, the company noted that about 4.5 percent of the world's cell towers are expected to be powered with renewable energy by 2014, up from 0.11 percent this year. Much of this gain is said to be expected in emerging countries, which often lack a widespread electricity infrastructure.

Developing nations also see strong potential from solar energy because it is far less expensive to deliver renewable electricity to remote villages far from the existing grid.