Looking to cut down the use of conventional fuels such as diesel, Government is planning to use solar energy for running over two lakh mobile phone towers in the country.

"There are a number of mobile towers in the country and we want to cut down the use of diesel in running them. We are going to hold a meeting with the Telecom Ministry on June 18 to discuss how to go ahead with the plan," New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah said here today.

The minister said with new technologies that allows storage of solar energy collected during day time to be used in night, it was much easier to replace diesel for running the mobile towers.

Abdullah was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function on solar energy here.

Commenting on the prospects of new energy applications in the telecom sector, Minister of State for Telecom Sachin Pilot said there were around 2.5 lakh mobile towers in the country, which were using around two billion litres of conventional fuels such as diesel.

He added that by using solar energy cells for running these towers, the country can generate employment and reduce carbon emissions.

Answering another query on promoting Indian companies under the National Solar Mission for manufacturing solar energy equipment, Abdullah said, "the first priority of the mission is to encourage Indian companies involved in the production of solar equipment."

He added that government's attempt was not just to encourage the production of equipment in India but also to look at the possibilities of exporting it.