ZTE Pioneers Telecom Sustainability With Zero-Carbon Energy Network 3.0

It is well-known that the telecommunication industry has an outsized role to play in global energy sustainability and climate change, given that Telecom networks have traditionally consumed massive amounts of power. The 5G era has compounded the challenge.

According to Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), the information and communications technology (ICT) sector can potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2030 via increasingly intelligent energy sustainability efforts, for example. That’s a massive impact that would benefit both the industry itself and the greater good.

Getting there will require operators to prioritize greener networks – and vendors who can deliver smart solutions that help them do so while continuing to grow their businesses.

“With the large-scale commercial use of 5G, carbon emissions have become a severe challenge facing the development of the ICT industry,” says Yu Yifang, President of Digital Energy Product Operation Division . “Building a zero-carbon network and achieving carbon neutrality are currently important strategic goals for major operators and Internet giants.”

ZTE has established itself as an industry leader in this space with its Zero-Carbon Energy Network solution, which prioritizes technologies such as smart solar energy, Ultra high efficiency conversion, smart lithium batteries, intelligent power distribution, and smart thermal control to deliver more intelligent, sustainable network operations. ZTE recently launched V3.0 of the solution, which represents an expansion of its capabilities.

“Before, ZTE focused on network energy consumption only, but now we put more attention [on] green electricity applications, network energy efficiency, and smart O&M,” Yifang says. “We’re making great efforts to promote energy infrastructure in the ICT industry.”

According to Yifang, ZTE is driving energy innovation across four key areas:

1. Multiple sources of renewable energy: The Zero-Carbon Energy Network 3.0 solution combines solar energy, fuel cells, wind energy with energy storage, energy cloud management, and AI to accelerate the use of sustainable energy across the entire networ.

2. Intelligent lithium batteries throughout the whole network: Upgrading conventional VRLA and lithium batteries enables the transformation of network-wide energy storage into smart lithium or sodium batteries.

3. Simplified 5G power supply: Generally,site energy efficiency can be improved from 60% to 97% by shifting indoor sites to outdoor, outdoor sites to one cabinet, and then to full pad – which also reduced network construction CAPEX and long-term OPEX for operators.

4. Intelligent O&M for the entire network: ZTE iEnergy intelligent operations solutions leverages AI and other cutting-edge technologies to bring greater automation and intelligence to network O&M, delivering sustainability and Lower TCO such as: realize remote inspection, preventive maintenance, reduction of faults and manual site visits to improve operation and maintenance efficiency.

Zero-Carbon Energy Network 3.0 builds on previous achievements in each of these four areas, according to Yifang. For example, it expands its use of ultra-green energy sources, such as the combination of solar with methanol hydrogen fuel cells to ensure 100% power availability, with a final byproduct that is only water and a minimal amount of carbon dioxide.

“This solution can also be connected to ZTE's energy operation system to monitor key data such as site equipment status, power supply, and energy utilization in real time, greatly improving operation and maintenance efficiency and reducing operating costs,” Yifang says.

While the overall industry is only scratching the surface of its potential sustainability improvements, ZTE has long been focused on smarter energy strategies. The company who has deployed more than 2 million power supply systems around the world, shipped more than580,000 lithium batteries, and installed solar power capacity of 400 MW+.

Now, ZTE’s Zero-Carbon Energy Network solution is set to make even greater gains on the path to zero-carbon emissions and a greener ICT industry.

The company recently implemented a zero-carbon telecom site for Telefonica Germany (also known as O2), the first commercial project of its kind in the country. Finding greener, more energy-efficient approaches to network construction and operations was a particular priority for O2 given Germany’s general focus – both by the government and various enterprises – on sustainability. But it was also a strategic imperative, since the company announced plans to build thousands of new sites to service residents in rural and remote areas. 

By partnering with ZTE, O2 is fulfilling its mission to connect as many citizens as possible with high-quality, highly reliable ICT services, while simultaneously playing a leadership role in energy sustainability and climate impacts.

In a sense, ZTE – like the industry at large – is just getting started, with plenty more innovation to come.

“The overall development trend of telecom energy is still centered on high efficiency, high density, green, and intelligence；the technical development route of telecom power supply is high-efficiency and high- density,” Yifang says.

More operators are also recognizing and embracing another truth: Energy sustainability is, of course, good for the planet. But it’s also good for business.

“The vision of ZTE’s Zero-Carbon Energy Network not only targets low-carbon and zero-carbon, but also pays more attention to the economic benefits of operators' business processes,” Yifang says. “It uses green energy saving and comprehensive efficiency improvement as the main means to help operators achieve rapid and low CAPEX network construction. and low OPEX operation maintenance, and management of networks.”