Can solar power improve China's base station infrastructure?

Traditionally powered by coal-dominated grid electricity, these stations contribute significantly to operational costs and air pollution. This study offers a comprehensive roadmap for low-carbon upgrades to China’s base station infrastructure by integrating solar power, energy storage, and intelligent operation strategies.

How does a solar base station work?

The main technological approach includes the integrated installation of solar panels, energy storage units, and controllers, with the specific transformation plan displayed in Figure 6. In this scheme, the base station is powered by solar panels, the electrical grid, and energy storage units to ensure the stability of energy supply.

How does a base station work?

In this scheme, the base station is powered by solar panels, the electrical grid, and energy storage units to ensure the stability of energy supply. When there is a surplus of energy supply, the excess electricity generated by the solar panels is stored in the energy storage units.

How much energy does a communication base station use a day?

A small-scale communication base station communication antenna with an average power of 2 kW can consume up to 48 kWh per day. 4,5,6 Therefore, the low-carbon upgrade of communication base stations and systems is at the core of the telecommunications industry’s energy use issues.

Will China Telecom upgrade base stations in 2024?

In Anhui Province, for example, the China Telecom branch plans to upgrade 700 base stations with low-carbon retrofits in 2024 and selectively implement an active deep sleep system for base stations across the province at night to reduce the cost of purchased power.

Will communication base stations reduce electricity consumption?

Our findings revealed that the nationwide electricity consumption would reduce to 54,101.60 GWh due to the operation of communication base stations (95% CI: 53,492.10–54,725.35 GWh) (Figure 2 C), marking a reduction of 35.23% compared with the original consumption. We also predicted the reduction of pollutant emissions after the upgrade.