Progress towards ecological practices is evolving in data centre management and telco operators are part of the driving force for innovation. David Wilson, Global Offering Director for Solar and Telecom Energy Solutions, Vertiv, discusses some of these long-term strategies for achieving sustainability.
The GSMA estimates that telco operators account for up to 3% of the total global energy demand and estimates that it will increase further in the months and years ahead. 5G is driving some of this increase – multiple new mobile stations will be needed to meet the expected exponential growth in data traffic from 5G-connected devices, as well as the growing demands of Edge capacity for high-performing services.
Sustainability is top of the agenda for operators around the world – not least because telcos are also under pressure to comply with stringent laws and regulations. For example, the EU requires listed companies with more than 500 employees to comply with the new Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) based on a unified Green Classification System called ‘EU Taxonomy’.
However, whilst there’s plenty of pressure on telecom operators to prove their green credentials there’s also positive news to be had – as these organisations have already made significant strides in tackling their energy consumption. The industry was an early adopter of solar energy, for instance, and today telcos are looking to expand their adoption of renewables (energy, solar PV and lithium battery storage) to deliver a resilient, reliable and sustainable energy supply. Wind is another possibility but it is complex because it is not always understood when and where to use it well and is capex expensive. Other internal sustainability initiatives, such as reuse and recycling of equipment, lowering water consumption in factories and offices or reducing office space and daily commute thanks to increased homeworking, are also happening at pace.
With a growing impetus to ‘get sustainability right’ and to do it quickly, what near and longer-term strategies can telcos deploy to help boost energy efficiency and make more strides in achieving sustainability?
Transition to high-efficiency rectifiers
There are a number of immediate practical steps operators can take to reduce the power they use, shrink their electric bills and support the transition to a more sustainable future.
One of the most obvious routes to a greener future is to simply transition to high-efficiency rectifiers in the DC power systems present at every access site. Replacing legacy DC power systems with newer, high-efficiency models can improve energy efficiency by up to 6%.
What’s more, modern equipment frequently includes energy-saving modes and features that are all too often ignored. Today’s DC power systems, for example, are more intelligent and capable of more advanced energy management than legacy systems, but in many instances, operators don’t harness those functions, favouring static operation. We urge operators to make the most of these systems’ capabilities and reap immediate energy-saving benefits.
Align energy strategies to your access site
When it comes to energy management, location matters. When you consider geographies, climate, grid reliability, water availability, governmental regulations and countless other factors around the globe, it becomes clear that no single strategy is appropriate for every access site.
Energy and carbon management strategies must be linked to planning and real estate and operators must tailor their approach to the conditions across their networks. For example, hybrid energy systems leveraging solar power to supplement unreliable or overtaxed grids are more commonplace in much of Africa, South America, the Middle East and parts of Asia than in the US, where grid service is usually reliable and affordable.
Use intelligent controls to manage the load
Thanks to the latest innovations in technology development, comprehensive real-time monitoring of AC and DC power network infrastructure is possible. Intelligent controllers are available with advanced load management functionalities that enable telcos to visualise load location, power performance and distribution inefficiencies to optimise the DC power supply, maximise the use of cooling and avoid overload.
By proactively managing the load, operators can identify the location and power profile of every rack at a given site. This ability to map the site’s power distribution and thermal output enables operators to move the load from one rack to another to improve airflow and optimise thermal management. With effective load management tools, high availability can be achieved whilst improving energy efficiencies and saving costs.
Avoid greenwashing
The greener a brand is, the more likely it is to attract customers and maintain higher prices compared to its competition. Responsible companies want to buy from responsible vendors.
But, whilst it’s tempting to hype your green credentials, operators must be careful with overpromises, or worse, untrue claims. Disingenuous messages are likely to be spotted by consumers and watchdog organisations and can cause a negative impact on a brand’s reputation.
This same honesty is vital in attracting and retaining staff. Integrating sustainability initiatives into the day-to-day business strategies and honest communication around challenges and achievements will help operators to secure the talent they need for future success.
Embrace new innovation
There’s already good work being done by telcos around the world in the field of energy management. The good news is that progress is happening all the time. We’re seeing many individual operators take proactive opportunities to implement strategies like intelligent load management to better control energy consumption and costs. However, operators must also look to the long term to consider more creative, ambitious approaches to managing their energy consumption. When it comes to specific initiatives coming down the line, in the months and years ahead, we’re likely to see an eventual move away from the traditional diesel generator towards hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Innovations to look at closely include new and emerging battery technologies like sodium-ion that may present additional opportunities for off-grid operation and energy management. And, as on- and off-grid power management becomes more sophisticated, we could see networks evolving into microgrids that generate and share their own power across the network and with the utility.
Although not all of these technologies are viable alternatives in the access network today, there’s a bright future ahead for telcos committed to being sustainable. What’s more, operators are fast realising that they must collaborate with one another and share best practices to drive innovation across the board and together achieve a net zero future. Thankfully, progress is already happening, as more and more telcos recognise being sustainable isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s also crucial to ongoing business success.
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