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Abstract

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector consumes around 10% of global electricity generating around 2% of global carbon footprint. The advent of Internet of Things (IoT) alongside evolution of 5G and 6G communication technology is estimated to increase the number of mobile subscribers by around 13%. With continually increasing user Quality of service (QoS) demands, the network energy consumption is estimated to rise significantly by 170% in the coming few years. To mitigate the increasing carbon footprint, we propose to have dual power connectivity on the base stations (BS), i.e., the BSs are provisioned with solar panels and storage batteries in addition to power grid connectivity. These BSs act as distributed energy source to the power grid as well as energy consumer. Optimally designing dual-powered networks is challenging as the dual-powered networks are prone to space-time variation of BS load and green energy harvest, leading to traffic-energy imbalances throughout the network. We propose an energy prosumer framework invoking the flexibility of cooperative energy transfer among the BSs using the grid infrastructure, toward designing energy efficient and cost-optimal, scalable networks. We propose to provide newer avenues of revenue generation to the mobile service provider so as to offset the capital expenditure (CAPEX) involved. Our results demonstrate significant CAPEX and operational expenditure (OPEX) savings to service provider, in addition to significant revenue gains and reduction in carbon-footprint. The proposed system is expected to pave way towards carbon-free self-sustainable communication networks.

Introduction

The ICT sector consumes 10% of global electricity.
The advent of IoT alongside evolution of 5G and 6G communication technology is expected to increase the number of mobile subscribers by 13%.
The network energy consumption is estimated to rise by 170% in the coming 5 years.
Purely solar enabled BSs are not cost effective from a mobile service provider’s perspective.
Optimal designing of Smart grid and solar provisioned BSs is challenging due to the dual stochasticity in energy harvest and BS load.

Proposed Networked Dual-powered System Model

Fig.1: Illustration of space-time variation in dual-powered cellular networks.

Research Output

[1] S. De, A. Balakrishnan, K. Sirohi, and D. Mitra, “System and method for providing energy management in communication network,” applied for Indian Patent, ref. no. 202111056238, Dec. 2021, PCT filing for US patent, Nov. 2022.

[2] A. Balakrishnan, S. De, and L.-C Wang, “Networked Energy Cooperation in Dual Powered Green Cellular Networks”, in IEEE Transactions on Communications, Oct. 2022.

[3] A. Balakrishnan, S. De, and L.-C. Wang, “Network Operator Revenue Maximization in Dual Powered Green Cellular Networks, in IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking, Dec. 2021.

[4] A. Balakrishnan, S. De, and L.-C. Wang, “Toward Green Residential Systems: Is Cooperation the way Forward?”, in Proc. IEEE GLOBECOM, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, pp.1-6, 2022.

[5] A. Balakrishnan, S. De, and L.-C. Wang, “Energy Sharing based Cooperative Dual Powered Green Cellular Networks”, in Proc. IEEE GLOBECOM, Madrid, Spain, pp.1-6, 2021.

[6] A. Balakrishnan, S. De, and l.-C Wang, “Traffic-skewness aware performance analysis in Dual-powered Green Cellular Networks”, in Proc. IEEE GLOBECOM, Taipei, Taiwan, pp. 1-6, 2020.

Acknowledgement

Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship, Govt. of India.

Conclusions

We propose an analytical framework to mathematically model a smart-grid connected and solar provisioned, wireless communication network.

We analytically subject the network to skewed user traffic of varying levels (as shown in Figs. 2-3).

The proposed framework aims two diverging objectives, namely, carbon emission reduction and operator revenue maximization.

Both the proposed objectives are formulated as convex optimization problem and solved to compute the optimal value.

The proposed framework results in significant CAPEX reduction to the mobile operator, in addition to OPEX savings, and reduction in carbon footprint.

IIT Delhi – NYCU Taiwan Research Collaboration

Industrial Significance

The proposed framework is very relevant to Information and Communication Sector as well as Power engineering sector.

Technology Readiness Level:

Applied for Indian and US patent. Industry collaboration required to implement the framework.

Smart Grid Connected Energy Prosumerism in Energy Harvesting Enabled Wireless Communication Networks

Ashutosh Balakrishnan, Swades De*, Debashis Mitra, Krishna Sirohi, and Li-Chun Wang*

Result

Industry Day Theme #Communication Technologies

Fig.4: Capital Expenditure, CAPEX savings up to 100%

Fig.5: Operational Expenditure, OPEX savings and

carbon reduction up to 90%

Fig.6: Annual revenue gain to mobile subscriber up to 44%

Solar Enabled Base Station (BS)

Space-time variation of BS load and energy harvest across the cellular network leads to “traffic-energy imbalances”.
Propose a framework such that the BSs are solar enabled and networked to each other through the power grid.
The BSs cooperatively transfer energy amongst each other in addition to energy buy/sell from/to the power grid.
Design cost-optimal and self-sustainable networks.
Propose newer avenues of revenue generation for the mobile service provider.

Main Contributions

Mitigating traffic energy imbalances at cellular level using cooperative coverage adjustment (CCA) among the BSs.
Exploiting the imbalances to improve temporal network energy using a cooperative energy transfer (CET) strategy among the BSs.
The BSs act as distributed energy source to the power grid as well as consume energy from the grid.

Main Formulations

Mathematically model the framework from two diverging objectives:

Carbon emission minimization or grid energy procurement minimization
Mobile operator revenue maximization

Fig.2: Generating traffic skewness in the network Fig.3: Illustrating space-time variation of BS load

Fig.7: Variation of user service revenue earned by the

mobile subscriber and its relation with user QoS.