A New Era for Network Energy Development

Energy consumption accounts for a big part of a telecom operator’s opex and can reduce cost competitiveness. As the big-data era approaches, operator networks are becoming increasingly large and complicated and require more energy to operate. Efficient, visualized management of energy consumption is the most effective way to reduce opex.

Energy Management Challenges

Traditionally, not enough attention has been paid to energy, and there is no systematic way of planning energy consumption. Energy is being wasted during network construction and operation, and this affects how an operator copes with the rapid growth in data traffic. Challenges to energy management include lack of professional consulting services, lack of systematic planning in network construction, lack of effective network monitoring during operation, and lack of unified professional management processes.

Energy Consumption Challenges

A full energy lifecycle is divided into four parts: production, transformation, transmission, and consumption. The challenges mainly lie in energy supply and energy saving.

Challenges in Energy Supply

Where mains supply is limited, operators generally use diesel generators to produce power. Diesel fuel is expensive, as is the cost of buying and maintaining diesel generators. The refueling process needs to be properly managed, and there are also the problems of pollution and fuel theft.

Challenges in Energy Saving

Energy efficiency can’t be improved with a single solution. An integrated end-to-end service solution includes process management and use of highly efficient equipment. Energy management is being accepted by more and more telecom operators across the world.

There are many challenges to energy saving in day-to-day operations. Enterprises have traditionally not invested much in energy-saving solutions and product lifecycle management, both of which can reduce TCO. Management service contracts usually only include an OAM interface but no energy-saving interface. There is no overall, integrated energy-saving solution for telecom networks. There are no effective methods and tools for calculating and reporting on energy consumption. Operators and equipment providers also have little experience cooperating in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode.

There are unique challenges in special scenarios. The use of batteries in extreme weather conditions can be challenging. When building energy facilities, limited space sometimes means that the necessary requirements for saving energy cannot be met. Technologies for controlling multi-use batteries are not yet mature. Energy facilities need to be secure, and power supply should be guaranteed over the long term. 

ZTE’s Energy Service

ZTE provides energy service that conforms to the operator’s network energy guidelines and that has well-though-out processes. ZTE’s sustainable, integrated energy-management solution is designed to reduce an operator’s opex. The solution includes consulting and evaluation, design and planning, optimization, and visualized management and control.

Consulting and Evaluation

ZTE’s consulting and evaluation service includes energy development consulting and evaluation on energy applications. Operators are provided with comprehensive, professional suggestions on energy development from a third party. ZTE has developed highly professional methodologies and technical tools for energy consulting and evaluation.   

ZTE can provide advice on how network energy requirements will evolve in the network and where future investment will be needed. ZTE can also plan the construction and optimization of network energy infrastructure; evaluate the rationality of energy investment and use, and assess the safety of network energy use.

Design and Planning                                            

Energy design and planning affects safety and consumption across entire network well into the future. Whether it’s for a newly built network or optimized network, ZTE can provide comprehensive, professional energy design and planning for site power supply, overall energy storage, thermodynamic model, and site safety.

Optimization 

Network energy optimization involves reducing energy consumption and the overall TCO. ZTE considers energy scenarios in terms of energy production, energy transformation, environmental assistance, and energy storage. Four different energy optimization services: designing site power supply, improving power efficiency, devising integrated schemes for mixed energy storage, and reforming temperature control.

To optimize the supply of network energy, ZTE chooses a power supply scheme that best meets on-site demands and meets the operator’s requirements in terms of offline rate, energy costs, and other factors.

ZTE’s power efficiency improvement scheme improves the efficiency of switching power supplies during operation. ZTE’s scheme involves improving overall power efficiency by optimizing on-site technology or swapping inefficient technologies with highly efficient ones.

ZTE’s integrated scheme for mixed energy storage is a reasonable back-up solution for mixed storage batteries when there is mains power failure or large fluctuations in temperature.  It makes full use of the storage battery and extends its life.

ZTE’s temperature control reforming scheme is designed to reduce the necessity of using air conditioners. Energy can be saved by intelligently controlling air flow and burying batteries underground. 

Visualized Management and Control

Energy consumption in a telecom network is continuous, and energy management and control must likewise be continuous. ZTE’s energy management and control service helps an operator distribute energy across the entire communication network. ZTE’s energy management service includes equipment management, personnel management, and integrated site management, operations and cost management, and front-line OAM management. ZTE’s energy control service includes energy consumption monitoring, energy production monitoring, and creation of energy statistics.

ZTE’s four energy services cover all parts of network energy development, from design and implementation to management, control, and continuous improvement. ZTE provides operators with a loop-locked integrated service solution and gives direction on how an operator can explore and improve network energy. In the future, energy service providers such as ZTE may be the driving force behind the take-up of new and alternative energy.