Ericsson sustainable smart 5G site brings together solar generation, lithium-ion batteries, hybrid energy management and more for opex reduction
Operators are facing two fundamental challenges: first, the global economy is predicated on the idea that durable, long-term growth is imperative and achievable; however, operators are still working to realize the full monetization potential of 5G. Second, the climate is in crisis raising an existential question around the sort of future this economic growth is meant to support. So the trick becomes redefining legacy network metrics to include sustainability as a primary North Star right alongside throughput, latency and reliability. And with a holistic approach to sustainable 5G, there’s an outcome wherein operators are able to reach their own net-zero targets without sacrificing performance and deliver to customers network-enabled services that aid the decarbonization of vital global industries.
At a high level, this holistic strategy should include infrastructure modernization, software-based energy smart operations, including supply and demand side energy management strategies that can be deployed simultaneously to reach net zero without sacrificing network performance. In a new proof of concept hosted in Texas, Ericsson has combined those three strategic pillars into a new type of 5G site that brings together solar energy generation, integrated lithium-ion batteries for energy storage, hybrid energy management tools and other capabilities that deliver a performant, sustainable, resilient solution.
SVP and Head of Networks for Ericsson North America Kevin Zvokel said the site “serves as a tangible proof point of Ericsson’s leading position in building sustainable mobile networks. Operators can now utilize untapped assets, thanks to this technology, creating new energy cost savings opportunities.”
The mid-band massive MIMO site can potentially be operated for up to 24 hours using solar panels and lithium ion batteries. And hybrid energy management tools bring a number of immediate benefits—increased resiliency in the event of a grid outage, for instance—and set the stage for broader change by supporting off-grid sites, load shifting, and peak shaving to reduce power consumption when rates are high. This approach also supports a future revenue stream opportunity in demand response, which means operators could potentially be compensated for switching to on-site power at the request of utility providers.
Ericsson has already showcased the smart site for Tier 1 and regional carriers. Reflecting on conversations she has had with customers, Ericsson Director of Sustainability for Networks Sashieka Seneviratne said the network operations teams are primarily motivated by opex reduction.
The need to align the thinking between network operations, sourcing and sustainability teams within operation organizations speaks to the broader need for holistic strategy and updating network performance metrics to include sustainability. “Network operations teams are incentivized on the networks operational KPIs, which typically don’t include sustainability KPIs,” Seneviratne said. “The focus has traditionally been on network performance and, more recently, on opex reduction, but now sustainability is emerging as a key performance attribute expected from network operators by their customers. To facilitate that transition, the organizations need to change the incentive models and think more holistically.”
She continued: “With CSPs starting to set net-zero targets, there’s pressure. The best network now needs to be high performing, energy efficient and sustainable. We feel it’s time for the best network to be redefined.”
Discussing the outlook for aggregating multiple of these smart sites and maturation of demand response capabilities, Seneviratne said, “It opens new doors with utilities. For utilities to accept a customer to a demand/response program, [the customer] needs to have a certain amount of kilowatt-hours capacity that can commit to curtail on demand to support the stability of our power grids. But at one cell site, you can’t do that; but if you aggregate multiple sites, then that can be easily done.” She acknowledged that scenario is being actively explored by Ericsson, but reiterated the short-term opex reduction that can come from this approach to cell site deployment and operation.
Back to the big picture, Seneviratne said, “It boils down to this disconnect from what the sustainability groups are trying to do and what the network operations teams are trying to do. There’s so much opportunity if they bridge that gap.”
Use this content library to get more information on how 5G can be deployed and scaled more sustainably without compromising user experience:
- Article: The climate science is clear—5G operators have a key role to play in meeting global sustainability goals
- Report: Ericsson Mobility Report, November 2022
- Report: On the road to breaking the energy curve–a key building block for a net-zero future
- Article: As operators scale 5G, sustainability is a business imperative
- Podcast: The Voice of 5G—network energy efficiency and new 5G statistics
- Article: For 5G and beyond, energy is as important as RAN, core and transport
- Podcast: Will 5G Change the World? featuring Ericsson North America Chief Technology Officer Mike Murphy
- Article: Ericsson and Vodafone halve network energy consumption in breakthrough 5G trial
- Article: IntraGrain makes agriculture smarter with with IoT
- Article: With the transition to 5G, operators can achieve societal, financial and environmental goals
- Report: Breaking the energy curve—An innovative approach to reducing mobile network energy use
